Starfox: Phoenix from the Ashes
by Destructor
Summary: A not so simple retelling of a simple story: What exactly happened during the original war between the Starfox team and Andross? Now finished!
1. It All Starts Here

Just a few things to keep in mind while you read this fanfic from a first time writer: 

1) This is long. It's simply how I write. So make yourself comfortable before you begin.

2) This isn't exactly a fast-paced story, as war itself isn't always action. It doesn't mean that it'll be a boring journey however. Anything but, as far as I'm concerned.

3) To all the Krystal fans in the audience, I'm sorry, but she isn't in this one. The timeline I'm following in this fanfic is based upon the old Nintendo Power comics, along with the SNES Starfox game. It doesn't mean that you should skip over this story however because of it.

4) For those of you who read the comics though, you might see a few things that look rather familiar. That's because it is. I simply felt it would make a nice beginning. A few more of what I deemed as 'important' scenes have been used as well, but beyond that, everything is original short of the basic plot from the comics.

Beyond that, please read and review as the saying goes. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

* * *

**Chapter 1: It All Starts Here**

_Home is where the heart is. I just wish it wasn't such a mess all the time._ – Fox

A pair of lizards sat quietly in their Imperial Transport and looked out over the desert of Papetoon. Hot, golden sands stretched as far as they could see, a harsh contrast compared to their climate-controlled craft. Most days they would have been able to sit back and watch the heat waves emanate off the planet's surface, cracking jokes at the slaves they had under their command.

Today was not going to be one of those days.

The craft had just lifted off the sands, its engine rumbling as it brought itself to full power. A successful launch was not to happen though as it suddenly shook from an internal explosion. Instantly the two lizards were arguing among themselves about the cause. "We are under attack!" yelled the first as he stated the obvious. "I thought this planet was under our control!"

"It is!" roared the second as he desperately tried to stabilize the craft. "Only one pirate could be so desperate – Fox McCloud!"

The ship shook again as a gaping hole erupted on the outside of the transport, showering the ground below with warped steel and debris. Four people on single manned hoverbikes shot out of the gap, seemingly pleased with their handiwork. The leader of the group was the aforementioned Fox McCloud, an average height vulpine covered with fine light brown fur. His simple clothing and a tattered red cloak flapped in the wind as he looked back upon the rest of his crew.

Falco Lombardi was the first person he saw as he shouldered a small hand cannon onto his back. Falco was of an avian species, dark blue feathers ruffling in the wind. He put away his own weapon as he looked over to the third member of their group, Peppy Hare. "What's the haul, Peppy?" he asked, wondering if they had found anything useful this time around.

The aging hare looking around and made sure they weren't being followed. He ignored the wind that swirled through his coarse dark brown fur as he went through the haul in his mind, responding after a moment. "Slim pickings – couple of fuel packets, food rations, and a bunch of assorted electronic components."

Fox spoke to his group as they sped along. "Another Imperial Transport down. At least Andross won't be adding that to his collection." He thought for a moment before turning to his final group member, Slippy Toad. "Slippy, deliver those food rations over to the local village right away."

Slippy was a rather short amphibian and had a greenish hue to his body. He checked to make sure the goods were secured on his hoverbike and then responded to Fox, "I'm on it, boss." With that he turned and sped away.

The threesome continued their path over the desert planet, which turned from sand to rock as they traveled along. The group had a lair that they had stumbled upon a little over a year ago as they searched for a good hiding spot during a previous Imperial raid. It was nothing more than a few caves connected together, but with a few modifications it became a nice comfortable home, and the entrance was completely hidden in the cliff face. Pulling a small remote from his pocket, he pushed the lone button and watched as a small opening appeared on the side, allowing access to his group.

They flew in, the only light coming from the opening behind them. Falco turned to Fox as they slowed down, his face silhouetted in the light, and said, "Fox, we can't go on like this. No one ever got rich raiding Imperial scows." He paused for a moment before continuing to speak his mind. "I say we move on to a rich planet with lots of fat commercial freighters for the taking."

Having now landed, Fox leaped off his bike and stalked over to Falco. He was clearly not pleased with what was just said. Looking up at his taller teammate, he growled, "Feathers-for-brains! For the last time, we are not thieves! We're sort of a people's appropriation committee. That's why we only raid only Imperial ships!" He turned and stomped off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Peppy flipped on an overhead light and illuminated the main room to their hideout. The place was basically an organized mess, but it had a well-lived feeling to it. He scratched the white fur that covered most of his face as he sadly spoke to his teammate. "Falco, my good avian, have you forgotten the golden rule?"

He hated the so-called golden rule, even though it provided more excitement than he ever wanted, and he was tired of someone fifteen years his senior reminding him about it. "Yeah, I know. But…"

The hare interrupted, trying once more to see if he could knock some sense into him. "Make the guy with the gold pay. We're like Robin Hood – friends of the poor, heroes of the downtrodden species, snappy dressers. What we're doing is helping everyone on this planet, not ourselves." 

Falco muttered something unintelligible under his breath and looked over at Fox's room, having a good guess at what he was doing inside. Peppy interrupted his thoughts a few seconds later, saying, "Come on, let's get these bikes out of the way and recharged."

* * *

Meanwhile, Fox sat back on an armless chair in his room, an overhead light glowing dimly, and thought about his current position. In his paw he held an old photograph, one showing him as a child with his father, James McCloud, standing behind him. His father looked much like he did now, except in this shot he was wearing a military flight jacket. His father was a respected member of the Cornerian Military at the time of the photo. Fox had planned to join him when he got older.

But his father was dead. As was his mother. Both were killed under very suspicious circumstances about 10 years apart, with his father vanishing only two years ago, leaving him with an empty void in his family life.

Fox replaced the photograph on the dresser next to him and tried his best at blocking off the painful memories it always invoked. With a quiet sigh he leaned back and closed his eyes. His mind wandered back to recent years, when he and his friends were all part of the Cornerian Academy. He had passed his courses with flying colors, as had his friends. Peppy was an instructor at the school. They were all planning to join the military upon graduation.

But then Andross attacked. Armed with a huge armada of ships, and an equally large force of lizards manning them, the maniacal ape swept his way through the Lylat system, taking all that he wanted. Corneria was a peaceful world however, as was the rest of the system, and never had much of a military. They were also terrified of Andross' power, going as far as exiling those who thought of fighting back.

That was how Fox and his companions had ended up on Papetoon. As far as they knew from what little news they got of the other worlds, only Corneria itself was out of Andross' grasp. He sighed, halfheartedly wishing that there was something he could do about it.

His train of thought was suddenly cut off as he heard Slippy yelling to him from the other side of his door. "Fox! There was a holo-telegram for you in the village."

His curiosity was instantly piqued, as they rarely got any kind of messages, short of the ones describing their next mission. "Really? Come on in."

Slippy pushed open the door to his room and continued with what he knew, almost out of breath from excitement. "It's from Director General Pepper of Corneria's Planetary Defense Council."

Now he really was interested in the contents of the message. Never had he ever received a message from someone in the military, especially from another planet. "General Pepper, eh? I thought he was only a sergeant."

"Maybe he needs a band of ruthless mercenaries who know no fear."

Fox laughed, knowing how unlikely that was. "Yeah, sure." With that said, the two walked out and into the main room of their hideout and dodged around half-completed piles of junk that the toad had worked on in weeks prior. Falco and Peppy, interested in what was going on, moved over as Slippy made room on a messy table and hooked up an old holo-receiver they had acquired many raids back. The device sprang to life with a pop after the disk they'd received was inserted.

"Ahem. Greetings, Fox." Appearing from the receiver was a spitting image of General Pepper from the waist up, surrounded by bursts of static as the device struggled to work. He looked to be a tall canine, smartly dressed in a military uniform, cap, and a dark pair of shades. He continued speaking. "You're one difficult guy to reach. Did you know that the communications cartel had you excommunicated for lack of payment?"

"Yeah, go figure." Fox just grinned at the hologram with his white-tipped tail swishing behind him, knowing that Pepper couldn't hear a word he was saying.

"Here's the deal, Fox," continued Pepper. "I need the best pilots in the Lylat system for a plan we have, and I've run out of options. From your scores back in the Academy, you're simply the best out there."

At this point, the canine faded from view and was replaced by an odd looking double-winged single manned fighter. "Our engineers have developed the most sophisticated star fighter in the galaxy – the SFX Arwing – and equipped it with state of the art weaponry. Only a squadron of Arwing fighters can combat the ever-growing menace of Andross' troops."

"We've attempted to find other pilots on Corneria to make up the squad, but we've had no luck." The image changed again to moving footage of pilots failing miserably in simulator tests. It was not a pretty sight as half the pilots looked to be one step short of losing their lunch as they climbed out of the craft. "You're our last hope. However, you will be well rewarded if you accept my offer and come to Corneria."

The image changed back to the General, before dissolving into static. Slippy grumbled as he smacked the machine on the side and restoring the playback. "Even as I record this message, our sensors have detected Andross gathering his fleet for a final attack on Corneria. If he succeeds… We need all the help we can get, even from mangy outlaws like you."

Fox crossed his arms in mocking disgust, looking over his relatively well-groomed crew. "Who is he calling mangy?"

The General took off his shades. A pleading look was in his eyes as he concluded his speech. "There isn't much time left McCloud. Now is the time to prove that you stand for honor, decency, and the freedom of the species. As I record this, we have plans on bringing a transport over to Papetoon to not only sneak in some supplies, but to pick you and a few others up as well. I hope that the week's advance notice I am giving you as I make this will give you plenty of time to get aboard. It will launch the 18th, early in the morning, and hopefully there won't be any lizard interference due to the secrecy. I'll be waiting…" With that, the holo-message ended.

Fox glanced over his group and tried to judge their thoughts. "Well, isn't that interesting. He sounds desperate."

Peppy agreed with his statement with a nod. "Can you blame him? Only one small problem."

"Yes?"

"The 18th is tomorrow."

Fox sighed. Nothing was ever easy. "Lovely. Well, crew, this is up to you. Shall we go?"

"I'd love to take down the Imperial scum!" said Falco, smacking his paws together with glee, eager to do something on a grander scale.

"I'm with you all the way, Fox," replied Peppy. While the hare was starting to get a tad old for yet another adventure, it was the least he could do to help.

"I want to take a look at those new Arwings," Slippy commented. The budding engineer in him wanted to see what made these craft tick, as well as actually fly them.

Fox grinned, glad to see that his team was enthusiastic as he was. "I'll take that as a yes from all of you." He took a good look around the cave, their home for the last year. No matter how bad it looked right now, it had been a very nice place to stay for them. "I guess it's time to leave this place then for a much more entertaining life. Let's get packing crew. We have a flight to catch in the morning." 

With everything said, the four split off to their respective sleeping quarters to gather what little they had for the adventures ahead.

* * *

Considering that the Papetoon Spaceport had an outgoing ship shortly, everything seemed to be rather quiet. Then again. it was an hour before sunrise, and this ship wasn't exactly a scheduled arrival. On top of that, most people had no reason to land at an occupied planet anyway, unless it was another shipment of Andross' troops. The only thing that could be seen was a few staff of the craft loading up the final empty containers of cargo into the transport's hold.

Inside one of those containers were three people – Fox, Falco, and Peppy. Unable to find a way of sneaking aboard, they proceeded with the only option they could find, which was to stow away as a piece of cargo.

Falco protested from inside the confines of the arid-smelling cargo pod. "I can't believe this! Us, stowaways!"

"Stop complaining," muttered Fox as he wondered just what was inside this container before them. It really didn't smell too healthy.

"Pepper should have sent us Starliner tickets first class."

"We may be leaving without a cent, but one day we'll be back and have fame and fortune on our side."

Falco continued to complain as the transport's engines powered up for takeoff. The craft rumbled as the twin engines came to life and pushed them off the ground. "Get set for acceleration shock as we break through the atmosphere," said Fox, finally quieting the avian down, at least for the moment.

"Wait a sec," questioned Falco. "How the heck did Slippy get his own pod?"

"He didn't," said Peppy, thinking back to when he suddenly ran off earlier. "He said he found out where they stored the extra water tanks. He'll be fine in there."

"Yuck. I wouldn't want to drink that afterward."

Peppy laughed. "The filtration systems are more than good enough. Besides, he said he needed a bath anyway."

At that point the ship shuddered again as it put full power to the engines to break through the planet's atmosphere. While the passengers and crew were unaffected by the sudden acceleration, the cargo bays weren't designed to carry lifeforms. There was enough protection from the shock for cargo and not much more. The three in the cargo bays were put through multiple Gs of force for a few seconds before the ship finally got up to speed.

Shaken up, the three groaned as they moved themselves back to a more comfortable position. Fox was the first one to comment not too long afterward. "If I remember the travel brochures correctly, only 22 or so hours until we reach Corneria." He groaned, tired of his life inside a cargo pod already, especially with this stench assaulting his senses. "Forget this; we can't stay in this saltshaker forever. I'm taking a look around."

"Impatient like your dad was," said Peppy as he sniffed the air around him. "In this case though, I agree."

With that, a quiet clicking sound was heard in the cargo bay as the lid popped off the container the three were hiding out in. Fox took a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching and then opened the lid fully. The area was littered with at least a dozen more of the same containers, each having the possibility of holding some useful materials, or worse, stowaways like the three of them.

Falco was back to complaining again, interrupting the vulpine's thoughts. "Nobody ever shipped out like this back home. No champagne, no dancing squirrels. How low the mighty have fallen."

Peppy just shook his head. "Very moving, Falco, but quiet down for a moment." The hare had caught an unusual sound nearby. "It sounds like a battle onboard!" He concentrated on the sounds coming from above him for a moment before he realized what he was hearing. "Imperial Lizards! Sounds like only a squad though."

Falco and Fox turned to each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Falco with a smile.

The vulpine grinned in return. "I'm thinking it's our sacred duty to relieve these lizards of the burden of command." 

Peppy only groaned as he lifted himself out of the pod. "Here we go again."

* * *

The transport was a relatively small one as far as transports go. Only four decks in height, its original design was to only convey cargo from one planet to another. The bottom deck was used for non-breakable cargo; the next one up was for more fragile cargo, or in this instance a few evacuees; the next was limited crew and expensive passenger quarters; and the top deck was for command and control.

There were 50 or so passengers currently on the third deck, doing their best to entertain themselves during the trip to Corneria. Nobody was quite sure where the lizards came from, but in the end, it didn't matter much as there was no one ready or available to defend them.

That was until Fox McCloud and his band arrived on the scene from the deck below via a small emergency hatch, allowing a silent entrance.

The third deck was another large open deck like the previous one, covered with the same basic silver paintjob. Due to the more sensitive cargo, large drums and other assorted pieces of cargo were stashed along the sides of the room, giving plenty of hiding space for the threesome.

Fox counted a dozen lizards, all keeping watch on their prisoners instead of keeping better track of their surroundings. Whispering to his group, he told them to spread out and attack when they were all ready.

The vulpine stealthily approached his chosen target, tapping the lizard once on his shoulder to get him to turn around and accept a swift punch to the face. The creature dropped like a rock from the blow. Peppy took the height advantage by jumping upon one of the barrels, then launching off and landing on his opponent. Falco on the other hand took the more abrupt method of taking them all on at once.

From that, the battle officially started. Fox rolled on the ground and claimed the gun off his stunned attacker, shooting a lizard that was attempting to gun down Falco. Peppy flattened another one with a well placed kick while the avian decided to throw his next opponent into a third, taking both of them down.

Within a few more moments, the battle ended without a hitch. Making a swift check for further combatants, Fox remarked, "Well, that was too easy. I wonder why?"

"I guess they weren't expecting such hazardous cargo," replied Falco, smiling at his own joke.

Fox laughed as Peppy chimed in. "But why send Imperial troops on a freighter?"

Their question was answered moments later as a commotion was heard over by the escapees, the crowd shuffling away from something. The threesome turned, instantly noticing what seemed to be the trooper's leader holding a female fennec fox in a headlock and at gunpoint.

The lizard noticed the attention and spoke in a low grumble, "Stand still, scum bait, or the girl gets it. Some hero you turned out to be you tattered fool."

Fox whispered over to Peppy, still trying to figure out what was going on. "Is he bluffing? Who's the hostage?"

Peppy shook his head as he replied. "It's no bluff! That's Fara Phoenix, daughter of the spaceship magistrate on Corneria!"

The lizard moved himself away from the crowd and closer to Fox and crew, having heard the conversation. "Yes, how clever of you. Father Phoenix over there is dying to see what you'll do." 

Fara struggled to get away as the lizard continued to move closer, but her only reward was getting the gun jammed against her brown furred throat. Her ears drooped back in response. "I'd stop that if I were you, precious." The creature glared at Fox, knowing that victory was his. "Now drop your weapons! I've got what I want; it's time for me to leave!" 

Fox debated if he could get a shot off before the other fired, but decided that it wasn't worth risking a life to make the attempt. Left with no other option, he dropped his acquired weapon to the floor with a clang. The lizard smiled upon seeing him comply. "Smart move, fool. Now get out of my way."

With that, the lizard continued to drag Fara along the deck. The vixen's green eyes met Fox's own as they passed. His was the look of sadness, realizing there was little he could do. Hers showed nothing but fear, knowing that there wasn't anyone else there who could save her, that she was on her own.

Or was there?

Fox thought he saw movement at the top of the barrel that the lizard was just now moving under. He stared for a second and saw it again. Hoping it was what he thought it was, Fox decided to take a chance.

"Uh, Mr. Lizard sir? Hold on a second."

The lizard stopped moving and stared at Fox. "What?" he hissed as he took the bait.

"I just wanted to say, that, uh, it was nice meeting you. And, uh, look out!"

The lizard's face registered nothing but confusion for just a second from the utter nonsense that he'd just heard. But that was all the time Slippy needed.

The toad had been enjoying a simple soak in one of the partially full water barrels right next to the exit of the upper deck. With it being so out of the way, he easily got in without anyone noticing. When the fight started, he'd kept watch from his location, but noticed that nobody needed his help. While the battle was entertaining, in the end he was glad he'd stayed put, as this was his chance to save the day.

He used the barrel top as a weapon and swung it with all his might at the lizard's head. With an echoing clang it connected, dropping the creature to the ground before he had a chance to react. Slippy waved from his position as he surveyed the damage. "Hey ya, Fox!"

Fox laughed. "Nice timing there, Slippy." He turned to make sure that Fara was okay, but she was already up and running back to her father, giving him little more than a large smile as she sped off.

Falco was back to his usual complaining. "We could have used your help earlier, frog-face!"

Slippy cowered. "Sorry, guys, I was taking a bath! You didn't need me anyway."

"Take it easy on him, Falco," commented Peppy with a smile. "He really cleaned up!" The team groaned at the horrible joke.

At that point, the transport's commander, a dark furred wolf, walked over to the group. Assuming that Fox was the leader, he spoke to him. "Very nice work there. What's your name?"

"Fox McCloud," he said, looking proud of his team's rescue.

"Well, Fox McCloud, Mr. Phoenix is extremely grateful for your efforts."

The group looked at their commander, images of small fortunes in their eyes. "How grateful I wonder," Fox said to himself. He thought for a moment before replying, "First class accommodations would be nice."

Images of fame and fortune vanished as the captain led the group to their new room. Falco let his feelings known as soon as they got comfortable. "You could've asked for a moon, you ass!"

Fox, currently lying back on a couch, disregarded the remark. "Moons aren't nearly as comfortable. Besides, I have other things on my mind…" He grew silent without completing his line of thought, which was rather unlike him.

"Like testing those new Arwing fighters?" asked Peppy as he took a comfortable seat nearby. He was impressed over the drastic improvement in their travel arrangements.

Fox completely ignored the question, his green eyes almost twinkling for some reason. The only thing he said was, "Fara Phoenix… Nice name…"

That brought nothing but confusion from everyone else in the room.


	2. The Arrival

Author's Notes: Thanks for the kind and helpful reviews so far everyone. To those of you who were worried about how I was following the Nintendo Power comics blindly, a quick glance at this section will clearly show you that I'm not. It's all original from here on out, short of a few minor tidbits.  
  
Please read and review. All reviews will be looked at and considered. Enjoy!  
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** Chapter 2: The Arrival**  
_Corneria City is just like how I remember it – a huge city covering many square miles, the forest showing its beautiful side everywhere. How I've missed it._ - Fox 

Sitting inside their room during the rest of their trip, the group had little to do, short of thinking about their arrival the next morning. While it had only been a few years since they were last on Corneria, many things could have happened to the world they once knew, especially with the war going on around them.  
To top it all off the four were worried, as not only did they have no legal right to be on this world anymore, but they were being thrust into a situation that they knew very little of – war. Fox was worried most of all, as he felt that it was his responsibility, his duty, to watch over his friends, to protect them. Instead, he had just taken them away from their home and life that they've known so well, and brought them here. He just hoped it was the right move for them all.  
Upon arrival at the surprisingly quiet spaceport, Fox took a good look around for Fara, but much to his disappointment was unable to find her. However, General Pepper met their group at the gate, looking much like he did in the holo-telegram they received the other day.  
The tall canine walked up to the ragged group, looking over them as he approached. "Fox McCloud?" he asked, his slight grin almost betraying that he already knew the answer, as he had their academy photos safely tucked away in his front shirt pocket.  
"Yes sir," he replied stiffly, images of his last few minutes as legal citizens of Corneria coming to his mind.  
The grin faded quickly as he could tell that this meeting wasn't going to go well. "Look, I'm sorry that we couldn't meet under better circumstances, but..."  
"That's an understatement," muttered Fox.  
"Things have changed since we last met."  
"You don't kick people off their home planet anymore?"  
"You know that was outside my control."  
"Was it?"  
Peppy looked over at his disgruntled comrade, and tried to figure out why he was so upset to be here, even though he seemed eager to arrive only a few hours ago. He had a few ideas, but he wasn't quite sure. "Fox, what's..."  
"Not now."  
The General looked over the four, trying to determine if it was only Fox who was holding some sort of grudge against him. While the hare seemed worried, the other two held very stoic expressions, revealing nothing helpful. "I know how you all must feel about..."  
"You have no idea how I or my team feels right now!" Fox was in no mood at this point to debate how he or his team felt. He just wanted some answers as his anger came to a boiling point. Answers that he had been waiting to get for some time. "We, and the rest of the population on this planet, might have done something about Andross before he fully rose to power, but instead we and a few others got sent to exile. How do you think we feel?"  
Pepper sighed, having not expected this meeting to go this way at all. "You're right - I don't have any idea of your thoughts or what you've done in the last few years."  
Fox continued ranting, his teammates making no moves to stop him. They were just as curious to the answers as he was. "Why didn't you stop them? You were there when we were kicked off. You even knew my father closely, giving him missions that nobody else would attempt in his off hours." His shoulders slumped, a good sign that his anger had been drained for now. "Why?"  
Multiple reasons raced through the General's mind, trying to come up with an answer to his many questions. He finally decided upon his only possible solution – the honest truth. "I simply couldn't do anything about it. I was only a Sergeant back then, as you already know, and while I heavily voiced my opinion, in the end everyone saw you as dangerous to society. And it was a mistake that the rest of the system deeply regretted afterward."  
"That it was," said Fox quietly. He stood there, debating on what was said, wondering if it was the truth and not just an attempt to convert him back to Corneria's side of things.  
Peppy moved between the two, trying to see if they had finished their argument. Sensing that they were done, he figured he ought to say something, to try to get everything back on track. "Now that you've said what you needed to say, may I suggest something?"  
While Pepper just nodded, Fox commented upon the situation, grateful for the hare's experience and rational thought, even though his mind was preoccupied. "What's on your mind?"  
"Let's start this whole conversation over again, except this time, why don't we leave what happened in the past out of this? What happened has happened, and nothing is going to change that."  
"I'm willing to accept that if you are, General," said Fox. He looked over, locking his gaze upon the canine, him to do the same.  
"Your logic is sound, Peppy," said Pepper, looking over and meeting the gaze. "As it always has been. I agree to your suggestion."  
"Good." With a smile, he stepped back, out of the way, hoping for the best the second time around. "You may proceed."  
Shaking his head slightly at Peppy's unusual logic, he figured that ultimately he had nothing to lose. And having a pilot that was on his good side, and fully accepted his mission, was a good thing. "Fox McCloud?" he asked, already knowing the answer, extending a paw in greeting.  
"That's me sir," the vulpine replied, moving forward to shake paws. He still wasn't happy with the explanation, but he knew that if he wanted any chance to retaliate against Andross' forces, he had to play along, at least for now.  
"Welcome back to Corneria. While I wish it were under much different circumstances, it's nice to see you back."  
He nodded. "Thank you, sir."  
Pepper turned to leave, beckoning the others to follow. "I have one request though before we go however. Drop the 'sir' comments, as all you do is make me feel far older than I really am."  
Fox smiled, almost breaking out into laughter, a good sign that he had reverted fully to his normal self. "If you insist."  
Having finished with the introductions, he led everyone off to a government owned hovercar parked just outside the spaceport and loaded them in. Slippy found a technical manual of some sort sitting on the floor of his seat, but the others were forced to look out the windows to keep themselves entertained.  
The center of the city was like most well developed cities of its type, towering skyscrapers visible wherever one looked. As one moved away from the center however, the towers quickly vanished, to be replaced with much smaller businesses and many various dwellings of all shapes and sizes. In an unusual move though, one that made little sense as far as easy expansion goes, sizable groves of trees could be seen intermixed with the houses, these orchards covering more and more ground the farther they got away from the main part of the city.  
As they drove off to the base, Fox grew tired of watching the various sections of the city pass by and decided to get some kind of conversation going, not liking the silence after the vocal argument earlier. "So, General, not that I'm complaining or anything, but why did you decide upon the four of us instead of any other Academy graduates? Don't you have other pilots as well?"  
The General thought for a moment as he continued to drive. He tried to figure out the best way to explain this to his new pilots. "Well Junior, we actually did try. Remember the footage we showed you? It really is that bad with what we have left around here."  
Pepper paused for a moment, weaving his way through traffic. Even with government markings clearly visible, some drivers continued to speed around and past him. "See, it was decided by the Defense Council that we needed as few ships as possible. Keeping costs down and such you know. To do so we needed ultra-high performance craft. As a side effect however, we made the craft outside the capabilities of our more average pilots..."  
A large park was visible to one side, speeding by quickly as the General continued to explain, Fox thinking back to a similar looking area he used to visit constantly when he was younger. "Starting to worry about our choice of fighter craft, we dug through the Academy records for the past few years. It didn't take too long to stumble on yours and your friends' records. Getting in touch with you all however was much harder."  
Fox tried his best from breaking out in a huge grin but was eventually unable to do so. Only the people he worked for had an easy way to contact him on Papetoon. Everyone else was considered a possible threat. "Pepper, personally I think that was a good thing. In our previous line of work, if you got found out, you were as good as dead."  
"I don't doubt that, Junior. As it is, before I forget, I want to thank you all for your great job in making life for everyone on Papetoon a little easier. It has been a harsh few years to say the least thanks to Andross and his forces."  
Fox looked pleased with these words, glad that somebody recognized their hard work outside of the villages they helped. "Hey, we're just glad we could help. It wasn't all that much. But in the end, it was nothing that any good person would do, right?"  
Falco groaned from the back seat, remembering some of their more difficult missions, surprised that Fox and the General were on such great speaking terms after yelling at each other only minutes before. "It wasn't all that much my tail."  
Peppy laughed, remembering a variant of that line being told before. "Fox, you have no idea how much you sound like your father right now. Always putting your life on the line to do good, then making sure that everyone thinks that it was nothing."  
The avian continued on, ignoring Peppy's remark. "And it explains why we aren't rich and famous right now."  
He looked over, shaking his head, wondering why Falco was always so negative. "We aren't rich, but we are famous to the people we have saved and helped. Isn't that good enough for you?"  
"No, it isn't." Falco scowled and went back to looking out the car window.  
"Junior," started Pepper, "I was never around you all much during your Academy years, but from what I remember, it seems that nobody here has changed one bit."  
Now it was Fox's turn to laugh. "Trust me General, they haven't. Count yourself fortunate that you haven't been around them cooped up in a base the size of a small apartment for the last two years. It has been interesting to say the least."  
With that, everyone broke out into laughter, some more than others, remembering the good and bad times they all had over the past two years, glad to finally be away from the rock and desert that was Papetoon, even though they were now in a far more dangerous situation than they had ever been. They just didn't know it yet.

A few minutes of travel later brought the hovercar out of the city and into the outskirts of a forest. As the travel lanes had ended at the edge of the city, they were free to fly however they wanted. Pepper maneuvered the hovercar high above the tree line, allowing everyone to barely make out Corneria Base in the distance.  
As they approached, details could be seen on the large structure. Corneria Base was the only true military base on the planet, owing to the fact that there was only a small military presence overall. Situated on one edge of the forest they were traveling over, the base was surrounded by open grassy plains otherwise. At first glance it looked like a large molded piece of rock, instead of a structure of concrete. As they grew closer however, the artificial design began to show itself, the unnatural curves of hardened steel clearly visible.  
The base had two large launch bays, one facing east and the other west. No gun turrets could be seen, but it was assumed that they could be drawn at a moments notice. It also seemed to be unusually quiet – no traffic could be seen anywhere near the place.  
Pepper decided to chime in with some information, as if almost on cue. "Ah, home sweet home. As you may have realized, this base is the pride and joy of the Cornerian Military. Currently on staff are 72 personnel, with the capability to hold about triple that if the need arises without overcrowding. It is a dozen floors tall, the top two holding most of the command and control centers, and the rest containing separate living, medical, and engineering sections. Top fighter capacity of this base is thirty-six craft, and short of a dozen general security vehicles, we basically have four – the Arwings. It is hoped with successful testing and execution of these fighters we'll be able to procure more funding for the military."  
Falco grumbled in the corner, thinking of the situation at hand. "Yeah, this whole peace before war aspect of our government got us to where we are today – backed into a corner with our only hope stacked on a few experimental fighters."  
"No better than our odds have been over the last few years my feathered friend," said Peppy.  
Slippy finally closed the technical manual on the Arwing that he had been reading the entire trip and looked up, pleased at what he had read. "You know, Falco, these Arwing fighters are rather impressive technically. We might actually be looking at a good chance here for once."  
Falco perked up, that statement getting his attention. "Really? This might get interesting then."

The hovercar reached its destination shortly thereafter, with Pepper parking the vehicle in the eastern launch bay, which was almost empty, only holding a pair of vehicles just like the one they had vacated out of. Nobody was awaiting their arrival, short of an average height cheetah that saluted as they got out. Pepper quickly introduced each other. "Everyone, this is Gary, my second in command. Gary, this is the group that I've been waiting for."  
Gary was dressed in a military outfit that looked much like Pepper's, and was carrying a headset in one yellow furred paw that he waved around energetically as he talked. "No offense here anyone," he said, giving the group a good look over, "but aren't you a little ragged looking considering that according to Pepper you are going to be the saviors the Lylat system?"  
Fox looked down at his outfit as he grinned, thinking back to their recent adventure. "Considering that the only way we could get to this planet was by riding stowaway in a cargo container, we have the right to look a tad ragged."  
Pepper shook his head and sighed, wishing his cohort wouldn't be so blunt some days. "Don't mind him. Gary, just, shall we say, speaks his mind whenever he feels like it. But he is a good person." He turned towards the cheetah, noticing he was holding something. "Now, what was it you wanted? Who's on the com?"  
"Oh, this?" he said, lifting the device. "Well, nobody anymore, but there was a certain someone who wanted to get in touch with you as soon as you arrived." Gary passed Pepper the headset as he talked.  
"I can't leave the base for any length of time without getting bugged by somebody." He groaned as he wondered what else went wrong in his absence. "Come on, Junior, I think he's right for once – you are all in dire need of some new outfits. I can call back whoever wanted me then."  
"We're not going to see the Arwings yet?" complained Falco, wanting to get right down to business.  
Peppy looked over the near rags that everybody was wearing as he spoke his mind. "Falco, I think what he means is that he's afraid that we're going to scare away the engineers that are working on the Arwings if we approach them in our current garb."  
"Besides, Falco," commented Fox as they all walked to the nearby elevator, "my family line looks rather good in a military uniform. It might do you a bit of good as well." He thought for a moment, something else coming to mind. "Oh, and General?"  
"Yes?"  
"Please stop calling me Junior. You did it earlier, both on the recording you sent to us and when we first spoke, so why not now?"  
Peppy laughed, knowing that Pepper had always called Fox by that name, even years ago when he was still at the Academy. "I think that was no more than a fluke, Fox. I remember when you tried back at the Academy. It didn't work then, and I doubt it's going to work now."  
"I've just known your dad too long, Junior," said Pepper, looking back over his shoulder at Fox. "I don't think it's going to happen. Besides, the instances before were more formal greetings than anything else."   
The vulpine threw his paws into the air as he gave up for the time being. It was never worth the aggravation of trying to get the General to change his mind once it was set, that much he knew.

The group, now numbering five, walked out of the elevator and found themselves in a well-lit white military style hallway, with the occasional steel colored door on either side. A dark blue carpet covered the floors here, trying their best to dim the light streaming down from above. Signs dotted the walls, marking room numbers and directions to reach the more important areas of the floor.  
Pepper continued his narrative, pointing out areas of interest as he talked about them. "Welcome to floor 6, general quarters, east side. These doors lead to your quarters. You have a nice lounge area through here as well, which you can lock if you need to for mission debriefings and such. You have once nice advantage being quartered here – the mess hall is on this floor down this hallway and the medical bay is down this one."  
He pointed to the doors leading to the group's quarters once more. "These doors are locked with your pawprints, and also can have a numerical lock on them as well. Just touch your paw to the scanner, and in you go. There's some clothing that has been put out on the bed inside – I've based the size on the uniforms that you wore back in the Academy, so hopefully I've guessed rather close."  
The General waved them into their rooms. "Go on in, as I have a call to make. I'll meet you back out here when you get done."  
Fox walked inside his quarters, quickly noticing how large his room was. A double bed was stashed on one side of the room, with a closet next to it, and a small table with a computer on top was on another wall. The other wall held a sizeable plasma TV and a fold down table underneath it. The far corner of the room held the door to the washroom. The walls were the same muted white color that the hallways were, and a thick gray carpet muffled his footsteps as he moved around.  
He was shocked to see how nice his accommodations were, and he hoped that the rest of his team had the same spacious rooms. Noticing two military uniforms upon the bed, he quickly found the one more suited to his size and changed, taking a quick side trip to the washroom to make sure he was as presentable as he could. Turning towards the mirror afterward, he seemed pleased with his new outfit – a light green short-sleeved shirt with light green pants tucked into his boots, and a short-sleeved white flight jacket with white fingerless gloves finished the presentation nicely.  
Fox found an odd silver helmet sitting on his bed as well. It was basically a three-piece design – one part coming to rest on his forehead, the other two came around the side of his cheeks, with a microphone and receiver on the left cheek part, and the whole thing was connected together at the back of his head. He took a quick look at the helmet, feeling that it was familiar somehow. Not making the connection he shrugged, putting it on without a further thought. It fit over his head fur perfectly, and seemed so lightweight that he hardly even noticed it.  
Making one final pass of his room, he happened upon the lone source of light short of the bulbs embedded in the ceiling - a good-sized window. Even with the gray curtains drawn closed, there was a good amount of morning sunlight filtering into his room. Taking a quick peek outside, he smiled as he looked at the grass below and the trees in the distance, waving slightly in the breeze. He remembered the view he had from his hideout on Papetoon, which was comprised of nothing but sand and rock, and was glad to be somewhere a bit more colorful.  
Eager to get back to the rest of the tour, Fox left his room, letting the automatic door close behind him with a muted swish. He saw the General talking into his headset a few feet away, but with his back turned, he hadn't been noticed. Not seeing anyone else out of their rooms yet, and not wanting to disturb his boss in mid-chat, he just leaned against the wall and listened in on the one sided conversation.  
"So, what happened? Are you okay?" A pause. "Thank goodness." Another pause. "No, see, this is exactly why you can't do that. But as to who…" The General stopped in mid sentence, and then quieted for a moment before nodding to himself. "I see. You really shouldn't be doing that you know. Anyway, we'll be at the engineering deck shortly." Another pause. "Yes, you have my word. But as to why…" With that Pepper clicked off the headset and turned around. "Eavesdropping Junior?"  
Fox just shook his head, wondering how the canine knew that he was there. "No, I just got done changing and stepped out. I love the accommodations. Everyone else have the same room I take it?"  
He smiled, pleased to see that what he considered to be simple lodging was so appreciated. "Only the best for our pilots, and the same holds true for everyone else on the base."  
"And who was that you were talking to anyway?"  
"That was engineering. Just an update to some concerns with the Arwings."  
Fox nodded. "I see." He felt that Pepper was keeping something from him, he just didn't know what or why. But he decided to play along for the time being, as he didn't dare start another argument. There was one thing he needed to know though while they were alone. "General, I have a rather blunt question for you. Why us? We aren't even legal citizens of this world anymore, and here we're trying to save it."  
Pepper sighed as he closed his eyes, as if he was expecting this question sooner or later. He just hoped that it didn't deteriorate into the shouting war he had to listen to earlier. "To be honest, I'm desperate." His eyes popped open, staring at the vulpine. "The citizens of this system are desperate. It doesn't matter where the pilots come from, we just need someone skilled enough to fly the Arwings. You're pretty much our best, and only hope right now."  
That was not what Fox wanted to hear. This entire plan was nothing more than a desperation move, a plan that he hoped that wouldn't end with the deaths of him or his comrades. But in the end, he knew he had no other options as well, especially if he wanted to get back at Andross after all these years. "So no pressure or anything, right?"  
"None at all."  
He rolled his eyes in dismay. "Great. Well, now to wait for the others."  
Their wait wasn't long, as everyone else wandered out of their rooms shortly thereafter. They all wore the same flight jacket that Fox had, but their clothing was a different color – Peppy's was red, Slippy's a dark blue, and Falco sported a dark tan coloring. "Looking good guys," commented Fox, liking what he saw.  
"Well, I hate it," muttered Falco, tugging at one of his shirtsleeves.  
"Is there anything you don't complain about?" asked Slippy as he looked over at the avian.  
"Quiet, frog face." He returned the look, glaring at the speaker.  
"And who's going to make me, bird brain?"  
Peppy moved between the arguing pair, as he was the closest, not happy at all to see them fighting already. "Hold on you two, this is not the way to use your aggression. Collect it, store it, and use it in your battles ahead. Not here."  
Pepper cast an inquisitive eye over the group and how they acted together. It worried him somewhat, but as he told Fox before, he didn't have much of a choice. "With that out of the way, shall we continue? I have a few more things that I'd like you all to see today."  
"Now you see what I've had to put up with," whispered Fox into Pepper's ear as he passed by. The canine just shook his head as they continued on with their tour, eager to see their new craft.


	3. The Arwings

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay between this and the previous chapter. I haven't had the chance lately to sit down and pound out the HTML code to make this look good on Fanfiction.net.  
  
Please read and review. All reviews will be looked at and considered. Enjoy!  
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** Chapter 3: The Arwings**  
_These are the Arwings? They look too fragile and elegant, like some geek wanted to design something that was pretty, not effective. At least there's the hope they'll fly better than they look._ - Falco 

The elevator opened up, revealing a very large open construction and repair facility. Multiple computer systems were lined up against one wall, with a stack of spare parts, armor plating, and assorted electronic gadgets against another. A half dozen engineers were in various places around the room, each having their own part to play as they worked on the most important feature of the room – the Arwings.  
Pepper enjoyed the awed look the rest of the group had as they saw their new fighter craft. "Incase you haven't realized, this is deck 0 – Arwing construction and repair. This will also be where you launch and dock in future flights." He paused as he noticed his second in command approach.  
Gary walked up to the stunned group, a file folder in his paws. "You like?" he asked as he gestured behind him. Receiving nothing but smiles and nods from the group, he continued. "Pepper, I'll take care of them from here. I'll let you know when we're done." With a nod the General stood back, letting his partner take command for the moment.  
The cheetah popped open the file folder and began reading through it as they approached the nearest Arwing. "Congratulations on becoming the latest member of the Cornerian Military. This is our newest and most capable of all fighter craft in the galaxy, the SFX Arwing. With it…" He stopped walking and continued to read the front page silently. "Who wrote this junk?" he asked a few seconds later to nobody in particular. "My Grandmother could write a better introductory note, and she's been dead for the last 10 years so bless her soul." The crew laughed behind him.  
"Okay, look, this has some nice technical specs inside of it, so I'll have a copy forwarded to your rooms for your reading later. But this crap just isn't worth reading through right now. I have better things to discuss."  
Gary pointed at the silver craft they were standing next to. "This, unless you've forgotten, is the SFX Arwing. Just a little over a year and a half in development and testing, this is designed to combat Andross' forces no matter what the odds are against you. She's 92ft long from nose to back of the wings, 46ft wide from wingtip to wingtip, and is 18ft high. Or at least close enough to that anyway."  
He walked over to one of the long wings trailing behind the Arwing. "See, here is the beauty of this craft – these long thin wings might not seem much, but they, combined with these additional wings," he pointed to the smaller blue colored wings coming off the side of the Arwing at a 30 degree angle, "will keep you aloft in any type of planetary atmosphere. These blue wings hold the G-Diffuser system, which in a nutshell, generate their own sort of gravity field around the craft, allowing you to have the precise controls of a ship in outer space while still inside an atmosphere."  
"Correct me if I'm wrong," asked a confused Fox, trying to make sense over what was just said, "but that means you can ignore gravity around any planetary body, right?"  
Slippy piped in as well, intrigued at what he had heard. "If that's what he is saying, yes, and it would allow you to use the gravity field you are generating to help in accelerating, decelerating, and turning."  
Gary broke into a huge smile, obviously pleased at what he was hearing. "Yes, amazing! Someone who actually understands! You have no idea how hard that was for some pilots to get through their head. It also opens up a huge list of potential options in combat." He pointed to the G-Diffusers again. "Anyway, these also hold most of your maneuvering thrusters, as well as the inertia dampeners. While you do have backups scattered along your hull and wings, these are the primary ones."  
He walked up to the nose of the craft, the team watching as the cheetah continued to explain. "Up here is your radar system," he said, pointing at the nosecone. "The targeting and tracking computer is farther back, but the radar assembly is up here. Try not to lose it in battle. A bit farther down is the shield assembly. Able to protect you from anything short of a large asteroid hit, these shields are the pinnacle of defense technology. While some craft you encounter might be better shielded, keep in mind that you are far more maneuverable."  
"This is your primary weapon, the nose blaster," he said, pointing to a small tube sticking out of the craft near the radar assembly. "This fires straight and true to whatever you have lined up in your crosshairs, and for the most part is embedded far enough inside the armor of the Arwing to last through any firefight. You have roughly a .2 second delay between shots, and an effective range of about 5000 feet."  
He walked back to the last half of the main wings and pointed to a gun port sticking out. "This is your secondary, or for some, your primary weapon. Twin mounted blasters, one under each wing, electronically linked to each other and to your targeting computer to make sure that they strike at the same time on the same spot of an enemy craft. Effective range on this feature is from about 300 feet to their maximum range of roughly 4500 feet with a recharge rate between shots of roughly .35 seconds. Unfortunately they have one disadvantage – if you lose one gun, you lose them both due to the interlocking feature of the guns. But they are far more powerful as a result of the interlocking."  
Gary touched a spot on the hull just below the front part of the cockpit as he continued. "This is roughly where the plasma engine starts, and it works its way all the way out the back, where your main, and only, thruster is. It's large, it's bulky, and sure, you're basically sitting on it, but it is the lifeblood of your craft. Just don't let it explode. In theory, it would take you out with it before the computer could automatically eject the cockpit. Expect a top speed of roughly 60,000 miles per second, or 1/3 the speed of light, in the vacuum of space. Any faster than that and it becomes dangerous to travel as your shields won't be able to absorb any space flotsam that you might run into."  
He paused for a breath, giving Falco enough time to whisper, "Doesn't this guy ever shut up?" Fox had only enough time to shake his head, doing his best to cover up the smirk on his face, before Gary started up once more.  
"The Arwing is also equipped with a limited faster-than-light drive, or FTL for short, but testing shows that you'll only get about 30 minutes of use before burning out the drive and the fuel used. Basically it is for emergencies only, or when you're in a hurry. Maximum range of your Arwing is about 1.4 billion miles, or 5 and a half hours of flight time at maximum speed, with your FTL drive included, before you run out of fuel, as it's always being used in protecting your craft at those speeds."  
The cheetah pointed to the front part of the main wings. "This is where your retro rockets and boosters are installed, one set on each wing. These are mainly used for getting up to, and slowing down from, cruising speed in space, but they can be used as boosters and/or air brakes in combat. Unlike the wing-mounted blasters, these rockets are able to compensate for only having one of them. Just don't expect too much of a benefit in combat with only one though. There are backups for the retro rockets on the front part of the ship and in the G-Diffuser system, but these are far more efficient."  
Gary walked up to the front half of the craft, pointing to a spot underneath it. "And finally, another reason why these ships are the most powerful ones in the galaxy – the Nova Bomb. See, basically by accident, we stumbled upon a crystal only available on Corneria that responds rather interestingly to a large amount of power. By dumping the entire power output of the plasma engine through this crystal, it unleashes a ball of energy that upon detonation explodes with the power of a small star. Hence the name." He paused for just a moment, hesitating. "Unfortunately, it, well, isn't quite finished yet. Nor is it fully tested."  
"Wait a second," spoke Falco, interrupting. "You're sending us out there with an all-powerful weapon that hasn't been tested yet?"  
Fox didn't wait for an answer before asking a question of his own. "Good point there, Falco. Also, by the way you keep describing things, I have to ask - have these Arwings even been flown yet? You sound like a manual description instead of a first party account."  
Gary looked downtrodden. "Well, for the most part, no." Realizing what he just said, he desperately tried to restate what he was going to say. "Now, wait, this isn't as bad as you think it is."  
"It isn't?" shot Falco as he crossed his arms in disgust. "We are your test dummies. Just what I did not want to hear."  
Fearing that the team was threatening to break up, the cheetah threw all his cards onto the table, letting everyone know what he knew. "Look, let me be frank. They have been flown before. Just with the G-Diffuser system turned off. And with little combat testing. Pepper over there wasn't kidding – there isn't anyone out there who can fly these things. We made them just a tad too good. Computer simulations…"  
Falco looked very pissed off, interrupting what Gary was going to say with a wave of his paw. "Computer simulations mean nothing. I'm outta here. I am not going to get myself killed flying some ship that has only been flown through a computer." He turned to leave.  
Fox grabbed Falco's feathered arm and looked him straight in the eye, trying to think of something to say. He was not going to let him wander off like that. "You aren't leaving. Where would you go? Besides, where is your sense of adventure? How many things have you done in your life that nobody else has?" He smiled. "Just think of how much damage we could do in these Arwings."  
The avian shook off Fox's paw forcibly and replied, "My sense of adventure is back where I left my common sense. Back on Papetoon."  
Peppy spoke up, trying a different approach. "Falco, do you really think for a moment that you would, or could, leave us? Leave now, and you'll never know what it is like to fly an Arwing. Never experience the thrill of taking down an Imperial Cruiser. How it feels to fire off an untested Nova Bomb. You can't leave and expect us to have all the fun, can you?"  
The avian paused, considering his options with his arms crossed, letting everyone know of his feelings at the moment. "You're all nuts, you know that?" He paused, going over his options. While it was risky and dangerous, it was exactly what he had been looking for. It wasn't like he had anything to lose, short of his life anyway. "But you're right, I can't let frog face here have all the fun."  
"Hey!"  
Gary seemed pleased with the resolution of their little talk. "So, on to the simulators then?"  
"No, they can wait," said Falco, trying to remember the last time he had a good meal. He figured that the base had to have a decent food setup for as many people as they employed. "Where can I get something to eat around here?"  
Fox grinned. "For once I completely agree with you. Let's eat."  
With that they rounded up Pepper and walked off to the mess hall.

"Ah, nothing beats good eating like an old fashioned burger," said Fox as he finished chewing his latest bite, unable to remember the last time he'd eaten anything this good. The team of four was now inside the mess hall of the base. The room itself was a rather large cafeteria style place, with multiple self-serve bars along one wall, manned by a team of chefs who made sure that there was food available at all times. The place looked to be large enough to hold the entire current population of the base with little problem.  
Peppy looked up from the salad he had in front of him, glancing around the sparsely populated room before speaking his mind. "You know, Fox, one of these days the people are going to revolt against you carnivores. Some people might think you're eating their friends."  
"If that was true," commented Fox as he waved around what was left of his burger in one paw, "why are there still non-evolved animals out there? You know, cows, pigs, fish, and the like?"  
The hare just shook his head, having no answer to that question. "Only the Creator himself knows."   
Falco looked shocked. "The great Peppy is actually without an explanation? I need to write that down somewhere." He dug through his pockets, pretending to search for a writing instrument. Fox tried to stifle a laugh but eventually failed, Falco joining in shortly thereafter.  
At that point Slippy, who had been spending his time looking over the various foodstuffs available to eat, walked up carrying a plate of noodles and the folder that Gary was reading from before. He took the last seat at the table and looked confused at the laughter. "What's so funny?"  
"Nothing much, just laughing at Peppy's expense," replied Fox. "Sorry old friend."  
Peppy tried to downplay the whole experience. "Laughter is a good medicine, and a great stress reducer. One I think that we all could use right about now, especially after that speech we just heard."  
"Anyway, what took you so long, Slippy?" asked Fox. He had just finished his meal and began to flip through the folder that was now on the table. "Learn any other interesting aspects of the Arwing?"  
The toad finished a mouthful of his meal before replying. "Unfortunately no, but I did hear one thing from Gary – he said that we looked like the most qualified people that he's seen for a long time. The only problem is that the way he put it, it sounded like he has someone else also flying the Arwings."  
Fox looked puzzled, not liking what he was hearing. "Hmmm… But there are only four Arwings, and the four of us. From how Pepper put his little speech, we are the only chance that the entire system has."  
"That's the understanding I get from everyone so far as well. I don't get it." He finished another bite of his lunch before stating, "I just hope we do well in the simulator tests."  
Looking over his team, the group he had been together with for many missions that pushed them to their limits, he knew that there wasn't anything to worry about. "We will, Slippy, we will. Don't worry about that. Pepper picked the best, right?" Fox looked up from the manual and saw the General at the far end of the mess hall. He stood up and waved him over to their table. "I'll get an answer out of him about this."  
The canine walked up, paws clasped behind his back. "Yes Junior?"  
Fox grimaced at being called that name again, but countered quickly with what he had to say. "Quick question for you sir. Are we the only ones testing the Arwing project?"  
Pepper looked shocked and confused at the same time. He took a moment to compose himself before replying. "Yes, you are the only ones. Like I said before, we've tried other pilots, but nobody has worked out in the past." He paused. "Why do you ask this again?"  
"No reason, just trying to clear something up. Here's another one though – why only four Arwings? Why not three or five?"  
"Four was the magic number as far as the budget went. No other reason other than that." Pepper looked down at Fox, as if trying to read the vulpine's mind. "Is there some reason for asking these questions even though I've already told you the answers?"  
"No, General, just trying to clear up something with the crew."  
"Good. Let me know when you are all done here. I'd like to see your performance in the simulators." With that he swiveled in place and walked off.  
Fox waited until the General was well out of earshot before talking to his group. "Well, isn't this interesting. He's lying, I'm sure of it."  
Falco agreed, not liking the fact that he was being lied to at all. "I know he is. I wonder how much of what he says is a lie."  
"I do have to say this though, he is a quick thinker and talker," commented Peppy.  
Slippy finished another mouthful of food before speaking. "But the question is, why is he being dishonest with us?"  
Fox pondered the inquiry. "I have no idea. All I know is this – there is at least one more person either testing or flying these Arwings. But what I want to know is are we in contention with them or is there another Arwing or two hidden out there somewhere?"  
"The more the better as far as I'm concerned," said Falco, thinking that was a strange question to ask.  
"Good point. One last problem everyone – ever since we got here I've had this feeling that I'm being watched. Anyone else?"  
Peppy pointed to a security camera across the room, a small black ball embedded into the ceiling. "Fox, there are cameras like that everywhere in this base. But now that you mention it, I have to agree with you. It's not because the cameras are there, but it feels like someone is actively watching us."  
"Great," muttered Falco. "When Peppy gets paranoid, its gotta be true."  
"Well crew, there isn't much we can do about it other than keep our eyes and ears open for anything that might pass along our way. Let's finish eating and get back to work. I'm ready to see how these Arwings perform." Everyone else agreed with Fox and lunch was resumed.

General Pepper and crew walked into the simulator room a half hour later. Inside the plain white room were the cockpits of four Arwings, attached to the needed simulation equipment, with a large projection screen and a computer beneath along one wall.  
Pepper turned to the crew, holding his arms out to show off the entire room. "This is your training room. As good as I think you might be, the higher ups won't allow you in an Arwing until you pass a few tests on the simulators. Besides, this is the best, and cheapest way to play with your new toys." He grinned at his joke and then continued. "Now, if you would climb on in, you'll find headsets inside to put on. If you would do so, I know that Gary is waiting to give you another of his long winded descriptions from the command center upstairs."  
Fox laughed. "He may be wordy, but he does his job well."  
The four climbed in, closing the cockpit hatch behind them. The inside of the craft was rather different from its elegant, yet sleek and simple look outside. Multiple consoles lined the cockpit within easy arm's reach, and a computer monitor stared at them from just behind the lone control stick.  
Fox put the headset on over his helmet, adjusting it to make sure it wouldn't get in the way. He made himself comfortable, buckling himself in, glad to be sitting down as he awaited another long speech from Gary.  
The cheetah's voice broke through the near silence of being inside the closed simulator a few seconds later. "Welcome back everyone. I hope your lunch has settled, as this is going to be one heck of a ride. And while the General isn't listening for the moment, I do have to say that I am not long-winded, just rather descriptive. Considering that you will be fighting for your lives in these craft shortly, I would think it's a good thing to know everything there is to know."  
Fox heard a few laughs from his teammates over the headset. He waited for silence to resume before talking. "Gary, hold on one second. Before we get into flight training, I have one request. We need a name for our team here."  
"Hmmm… Good point there, Fox. I'm open to suggestions. Something spacey…" He was met with the sounds of silence. "You know, for such a talkative group, you people are not much help."  
"I'd suggest a few things," said Fox with a grin, "but I thought of the idea."  
Gary laughed. "Yet another good point."  
"I know," said Peppy quietly, thinking of a possibility. He wondered how the rest of the team would take it though. "Starfox."  
"One word or two?"  
"One. Two makes it sound like I'm trying to inflate Fox's ego even more than I am now."  
"I like. Any complaints?" Surprisingly everyone was quiet, even Falco. "With a unanimous vote, this has been decided. Congratulations on your new name team Starfox. Let's get back to business."  
"Okay, for the short minded, what you are sitting in is the Arwing. Unlike my last speech, this is going to be short and to the point as the controls of the Arwing are rather simple. Right in front of you is your control stick. Behind that is your main computer, or at least the screen anyway. Everyone touch it now as that will start up the simulation program." Fox did as he was told and was impressed as the cockpit windows first faded to black and then were replaced by the engineering bay.   
Gary continued talking. "Welcome back to engineering, or at least a simulation of it. From here, the computer screen would let you modify the program you are running, but for now leave it alone while I continue to explain your craft." He took a deep breath. "Your computer normally would show your radar in combat, but it can also display shield and weapon status, damage and repair status, and detailed target analysis. You'll get to play around with it once I start the simulation."  
"On either side of you are duplicate controls. Figure out which paw you are going to use for the control stick, then get used to using the other for the rest of your ship's controls. From there, you have access to every system on your ship - it is a duplicate of the computer screen in front of you, but it's easier to get to in battle. It's well labeled here, so get used to where all the buttons are."  
Gary paused for a moment to take a breath and then continued. "Two final things - first, notice the location of the throttle control. You'll be using that quite a bit. Move it all the way forward or back to activate the boosters and retros. Second are the foot pedals in front - those will tilt your craft on its Z-Axis, unlike your more standard craft."  
"Okay, enough talking. Time to take the Arwings out for a little spin. Throttle up and head on out. Make sure that your G-Diffuser system is turned off for now as well. Get used to the controls without it. You'll be amazed at the difference when you turn it on."  
"You heard the chief, time to go." Fox looked around, checking the position of the Arwings before continuing. "Whoever's in front, go first. I'm third in line. And try not to hit anything on the way out, okay?"  
Peppy, being the lucky one in the lead, powered up his engine. He was nervous, but he had flown many different craft in simulations before, during his teaching of academy students. "This is Peppy, I'm heading out." With that his Arwing sped down the tunnel leading to the only exit.  
The second Arwing fired up, turning to leave. Its occupant was ready for action, hoping that the craft had more to offer than the simplistic looking design suggested. "Falco here. Catch you on the flip side."  
Fox powered up his craft, smiling as he felt it rumble with the power of the engine, even though it was only a simulation. Thanks to how fantastic of a pilot his father was, the vulpine was more than ready to get into the skies. "Fox reporting, leaving now." With the skill of a trained pilot he flew his Arwing outside.  
Slippy was the last one to leave. He was almost scared, simply hoping that he wouldn't crash into anything in the first five minutes. Thanks to his days at the academy, he knew quite a bit about flying, but that knowledge could only take him so far in a completely new craft. "Slippy here, don't have all the fun without me."  
With that the Starfox team was off.

Time passed quickly by for Fox as he enjoyed testing the power of the Arwing. Then again he was always happiest in the air, and it was something he had greatly missed during his time on Papetoon, as the hoverbikes that they had access to were nothing like this. Thankfully the Academy training they had all received in general flight dynamics had translated well into flying these craft, allowing the entire team to adapt quickly.  
As he powered his way through another barrel roll, looking at the ground for just a moment while he was upside down, he heard Gary interrupt his thoughts. "Glad to see you are all enjoying yourselves. What do you think so far of the Arwing?"  
Fox was the first to respond as he righted himself. "I am amazed. Let the designers and engineers know that they have built a fantastic craft."  
"I agree with you completely, Fox," said Peppy.  
"Even under limited power, I am very impressed so far," commented Slippy, proud of his accomplishments of staying in the skies so far.  
"I like what I've seen," cut in Falco, throwing his craft into a few spiraling loops for fun. "But I have two questions - why couldn't other people fly this craft and when do we get to blow things up?"  
Gary laughed and thought about his answer before responding. "Well, for your second question, the answer is soon. As for your first though, you'll be seeing the reason shortly."  
"I can't wait."  
"Okay, if you would all take up formation and head up to, oh, say 10,000 feet or so, we'll get onto our second part of your test - the G-Diffuser system."  
"Why 10,000 feet?" asked a confused Falco, growing weary as to what might happen.  
"Lets just say that from your current height we've had only a 98% mortality rate in everyone's first G-Diffuser test run. Once you get up higher, the rate drops to..." He paused, looking up the answer before continuing. "Let me see... 94%."  
"Sounds like my kind of odds."  
"Really? For your information, that is one person from the lower height, and three from the higher."  
Fox was shocked, no longer sure if he had made the proper choice in accepting this job. "You weren't kidding that these were difficult to fly, were you."  
"Let's just say that the G-Diffuser system is a tad sensitive and rather shocking to most the first time. Also, the lack of proper pilots hasn't helped in the slightest either. Good Academy graduates are hard to come by nowadays."  
"What happened to the people who passed this test anyway?" asked Peppy, curious to find the answer.  
"Well, the two that passed only the test from high up told the General and the designers that the system had potential, but was way too sensitive for real combat use. Needless to say that did not please the designers at all." Gary quieted down suddenly.  
The silence was surprising to the hare, considering how much their trainer liked to talk. "As for the other?"  
"I was getting to that." The cheetah didn't like being rushed, as his response seemed rather terse and direct. "As for the other, we lost track of that pilot afterward."  
Fox didn't like that answer, but he wasn't going to pry. Changing the subject, he flipped his Arwing over to its side looking at the ground below. It was a clear day in the simulation, and he could see nothing but trees and grass below him as he looked around. "Gorgeous view from up here."  
If Gary was glad for the change of subject, he didn't show it. "Yes, it is, isn't it? However, enough sightseeing. I've enabled the G-Diffuser systems on your craft. You have two ways—"  
Fox ignored the rest of the sentence as he saw the Arwing a short distance in front of him suddenly make a U-turn almost in place and charge back his way. "Look out!" he yelled into his headset.  
The Arwings dove and spun out of the way of the incoming craft, missing it by mere feet. The vulpine was clearly not pleased by what just happened. "I want to know who did that and why right now!" he yelled.  
The person who Fox expected to answer did so after a few seconds. It was Falco. "Sorry, Fox. I guess I got a little antsy back there."  
Fox was at a loss of words, but only for a few moments. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. "Your stupid stunt almost got the lot of us killed, you idiot!"  
Peppy's calm soothing voice was heard over the headset. "Fox, look, while I don't approve of his actions, it does prove two things - the G-Diffuser system works, and it shows how good our reaction time is."  
Slippy spoke up to give Fox more time to cool down. "It also shows not only how nimble these craft are, but it is an indication of how simple the G-Diffuser system is - if bird brain over here can use it, we all can."  
Fox cut off Falco's forthcoming argument quickly. "Falco, listen and listen good. Get yourself back into formation right now. If I ever see you pull something like that again..."  
Falco did as he was told without a word. He knew that while Fox was calm and collective most of the time, he was the type of person that you did not want to get on the bad side of, as very ugly things tended to happen afterward.  
In the meantime, Gary had turned off his headset to the Starfox team and was talking to Pepper directly, very concerned with what had happened. "General, I have my doubts about your team. They seem to work together well, but they seem to be, well, unstable at times. Both Fox and Falco worry me."  
"I know, Gary, I know. Junior is a very calm person most of the time. It takes something like that to get him riled up. Falco on the other hand..." He quieted as he remembered some of the pranks that the avian pulled in his Academy years. "He was always a troublemaker. Even back at the Academy he was a problem. Other than that, they work very well as a team."  
"I still think we should have taken the other pilot."  
"Alone? The Arwings and that pilot are good, but not that good. Besides, we still are, remember?"  
A third voice, sounding like it was computer-generated, broke into their conversation, surprising the pair. "I thank you for the vote of confidence you two. We'll see how well team Starfox does as the simulator tests continue on." The voice paused for a moment. "Fortunately for you, Gary, I like the team name."  
Pepper groaned, knowing who the voice belonged to, but not happy to hear it in the slightest. "How many times have I told you not to use the base's security system to your liking? We are trying to hold a private conversation here."  
"When you upgrade the security system with better defenses, I might not have as much luck getting in, General. Besides, it's rather fun. I have to entertain myself somehow seeing as you won't let me meet the team just yet, nor take the Arwing out for another spin."  
"You know that I want to see how well they do together before I bring you into the picture. They need to get back to their old routine that I remember in their Academy days, and they're in need of training. Then I'll bring you in."  
"I hope so, General. Talk to you later." With that the voice cut off.  
"Pepper, you know that is rather annoying, don't you?"  
The canine sighed, glad to hear the unwanted person go. He couldn't believe he just had an argument with it, even though he was the boss. "You don't need to remind me. Anyway, don't you have a training session to get back to?"  
Gary changed a setting on his headset, bringing Starfox back into the conversation. "Okay, everything settled out there again?"  
"Yeah, we are," replied Fox, displeased at having that incident happen at the first place. He pulled a quick vertical loop, preparing himself for what was next, wondering what had taken so long.  
"Good. Now, as Falco has already demonstrated, your next lesson is the G-Diffuser system. With it on, you have two ways to use it. Either move the control stick to the extremes, or use the computer assisted settings on your control panel."  
"What, don't trust us with using the system normally without having the computer take control?" asked Falco.  
"Well, actually it was added after we realized that most people ended up spinning around in the air completely out of control the first time they used it. So the assistance features were put in. And unless I'm reading this wrong, you did use that earlier."  
Gary paused for a moment, expecting a comment or two from the crew, and was impressed at the silence. "Anyway, the automated controls will spin your craft in the direction and degrees indicated and then will fire the boosters for a moment to gain back whatever speed you lost during the turn."  
"Now go experiment. Keep in mind that anything over a 90-degree turn will cause a severe loss of airspeed for a moment, and you'll more than likely lose a bit of altitude as well. However, being able to make extremely tight turns in an atmosphere more than make up for it."  
"One last thing before you start. Your shield systems have been activated as well. A small side effect of turning and ultimately stopping quickly causes a ton of heat buildup in an atmosphere. Your shields are fully capable of taking that kind of punishment, but just don't overdo it. If your shields are down though, your Arwing will start to heat up dramatically. Unlike the shields, the hull is not designed to take that constantly."  
The cheetah sighed, realizing that he had stammered on yet again. "Anyway, enough talking. Go out there and fly. I'll get back to you in a bit and work through the weapon systems with you."  
With Gary gone, Fox took over the training. "Okay crew, back to work. Falco, what was your impression on the G-Diffuser system?"  
Falco thought for a moment. "Honestly? I was shocked when the Arwing turned like they said it would. It is an almost instant turn, but very disorienting, even for myself."  
"New plan then - everyone pick a different height to fly at, then experiment. Just speak up if you need something."  
"And make sure you don't crash into someone if you fall out of the sky," joked the avian.  
"Falco, quiet. Off I go." Taking a deep breath to still his racing heart, Fox punched the automatic controls, sending his craft into a near instant u-turn. He felt extremely sick for a moment, because he saw his ship turn, but the simulator was far from able to keep up with the speed of the maneuver.  
Fox closed his eyes for a moment to clear his head. "Wow… Guys, the simulator can't keep up with this turn, so watch yourselves."  
Wasting no further time, they proceeded, with near disastrous results. Peppy spun his craft around with little more than disorientation for a few moments, but Slippy completely lost control. He used his flight stick as a prop in a desperate attempt to steady his spinning head with the expected result of his Arwing promptly falling out of the sky.  
Fox dove after his falling companion, trying constantly to raise him on the communicator. A thousand feet from the ground the nauseated toad regained his senses, pulling his craft out of the nosedive.  
The team regrouped afterwards as Fox decided to have a small chat with their trainer, not liking what he'd just seen. "Gary, I got a question for you. Is there a way to keep the simulator from turning at all during a G-Diffuser turn? Or possibly improving the turning speed?"  
"I'm not quite sure, why?"  
"Well, if you just missed that little altercation from before, the simulator just isn't cutting it on the turns."  
Gary sighed. "Yes, I've noticed that. We've been wondering if that was the problem."  
Falco started ranting as usual, but Fox quickly cut him off. "Personally, I know it is. Can you do it?"  
"I think so. But it will be something that will take time to do. Have to rewrite some of the simulator code and such." Gary paused for a moment as he thought about what to do next. "Well then, shall we move on then to weapons testing?"  
"Hopefully this is something you have working right," grumbled Falco.  
"Falco, quiet," shot Fox, tired of his little interruptions.  
"Don't worry, oh trigger happy one," started the cheetah jokingly, "the weapon systems work rather well. Like flying it is very simple - the trigger fires your blasters as long as you hold it down, and you have a switch on the side to change firing modes."  
"Keep in mind though that your twin blasters require you to have your radar and tracking systems working, and you'll basically need a lock on your target through the computer. It will make a guess on which target you are firing upon based on what is in front of you, but it is always better to do it yourself. Now, let me run a combat program for you. Just a sec."  
"What, no Nova Bomb testing?" questioned Falco.  
"Anxious, aren't you?" joked Gary. "You'll have to wait a little longer to test that out as the brass wants you to do things in order. Also, don't try to fire off the Nova Bombs anyway, as the controls for them have been disabled."  
The team watched as the Corneria skies vanished and were replaced by the engineering bay once more. "Welcome back home everyone. For targeting practice, I've loaded up different program into the simulator. From here, you are all on your own - your teammates aren't in the same program."  
Fox looked around, having not realized until now that he was alone as his trainer continued. "You'll find 50 targets indicated on your targeting computer in somewhat of a straight line once you launch. Your goal is to take them out in the shortest time possible, using whatever firing mode you want on your blasters. This is a test of your piloting and shooting skills. However, keep in mind that this is not Corneria anymore, so expect a few things that aren't quite possible in the real world. Good luck, and good shooting."  
"Noted and understood," said Fox. "Team, let's show everyone what we can do." With that the Arwings launched.

Gary turned off his communication to the Starfox team and switched back to only the General. "You watching this I take it, Pepper?"  
The General looked over to the four simulators behind him. "This and everything else so far. Great work so far as always and nice line about the brass."  
"Thanks. Well, we are the brass aren't we?" He laughed for a moment. "And we do want to see how they do in combat maneuvers before we give them full access to the Arwings, right?"  
"Correct. One thing that worries me though… Have the engineers had any luck on the Nova Bomb problems?"  
The cheetah watched Fox through his monitors as he pulled off a rather impressive vertical loop taking out two targets in the process before replying. "Unfortunately, no. Now we have two problems - we are still having power problems firing the weapon and we can't get the Arwing's shields configured properly to resist the blast."  
Pepper sighed, wondering how many more problems he'd have to deal with in the near future. "Lovely. Any guess on a timeframe for a fix?"  
"The engineers hope it will be shortly. Then again they have been saying that on the power problem for a month now."  
He sat back and watched the team continue to perform quite well at their training. "So, what do you think of my pilots?"  
"So they are your pilots now, eh?" laughed Gary. "Well, if you want my opinion on their combat abilities, I'll give it to you. Just let everyone finish their current mission first."  
"Deal." The two sat back and watched their respective monitors as the Starfox team continued their training. As expected, Fox and Falco were neck and neck, with Peppy and then Slippy trailing a tad behind. Their different fighting styles showed as well - Fox and Peppy believed in single shot accuracy, Falco used excessive firepower with the twin firing mode, while Slippy was a careful mix of the two.  
After quietly watching everyone for a minute, Gary spoke up. "So General, care to make a little side bet on who is going to win?"  
"You know very well that I'm not a betting dog."  
"Fine then. A drink perhaps?"  
Pepper thought a moment before responding. "A drink I can do."  
"Good. Who wins and by how much time wise? I'll start." Gary looked through his notes he had made so far and glanced at the monitors. Fox was currently ahead with a five second lead, with 22 targets to go. But he believed that Falco would make a very good attempt to catch up. "Fox will win, but by only by a second, if even by that."  
"You believe in Falco that much, don't you?" commented Pepper, surprised at what he was hearing. He watched as Fox easily shot down another target, swiveling to one side as he squeezed by a rock outcropping. "He is good, but Junior is better. You haven't seen his father in action like I have. Junior will maintain those five seconds easily."  
"I've seen enough training videos to judge. Falco is almost Fox's equal in the skies in my opinion."  
"Don't tell him that. Or Falco for that matter."  
Gary laughed. "You don't have to worry, my opinions are known by only a few." He paused for a moment, noticing a light flashing on one of his control boards. "Unfortunately we have to add in someone else to that few." His tone switched to an aggravated one, tired of being interrupted. "Do you mind?"  
The same computer-generated voice from before barged into their conversation. "I'm impressed you actually realized that I've been listening."  
"Don't give me that, you let me know. You know our computer systems better than we do practically."  
Pepper sighed, his tone quickly turning hostile. "It seems I can't make you listen with mere words. Do you want me to throw you in the brig perhaps?"  
The light-hearted voice became serious. "You wouldn't dare General."  
"You are tempting me. I could you know. How much have you seen so far today?"  
"Everything. I'm quite impressed - the Starfox team are very quick learners."  
"Don't change the subject," snapped the General. Realizing his wasn't going to win this conversation, he decided to try another route. "Look, I'll let you watch the demonstrations, but get off our line when we are trying to hold a conversation. And I'll give you a call later tonight about your meeting with the team, okay?"  
"All right."  
"Good. Don't interrupt again."  
"One final thing though guys – Gary, the simulators really should be modified as per Fox McCloud's request. That was always my complaint about them. As I've told you before, the Arwing does not perform like that. I think you might have scared off a few potential pilots in the last few months because of it."  
The voice became silent, as did the rest of the conversation. A few moments passed before Gary spoke up. "Sorry about that, General, but I just noticed the indicator on my end."  
"No problem. Any idea how long we haven't had a private conversation?"  
"I have no idea, but something tells me it has been some time. I'll keep an eye out though. And I'll say it again, that is very annoying."  
"I know Gary, I know. We need experienced pilots too badly though to pass up on someone this good. Especially since we've had this one from the beginning."  
"True. The overall scores were quite high. We'll see how well it compares to the team." He paused, noticing a readout on one of his monitors. "Also, as for the team, it seems like they'll be finishing shortly."  
The two turned their full attention back to the monitors and the race. Fox and Falco were only a second apart, quickly closing on the last target. Peppy was about 15 seconds back, with Slippy another half a minute behind that. The final target was hidden inside of an unlighted narrow cave, forcing pilots to maneuver via their radar and with a light on the end of the radar assembly.  
Fox passed through the constricted cave with little problem, dodging rock outcroppings and speeding around walls with ease. Falco pushed his Arwing and his reaction time to the limit, charging through the cave with reckless abandon.  
As they closed in on their final target, it actually looked like Falco would end up the victor. It was not to happen however as he took one of his turns too close, clipping a wing against the wall, sending his Arwing out of control. To his credit however, he did recover within moments, but that was all the time that the vulpine needed to finish the course.  
Acting like he has flown an Arwing for years, Fox casually lined up a shot on the final target, destroying it with little effort. Falco finished less than a second afterward, his continued fire blasting a hole into part of the wall behind the target in the process.  
Gary seemed pleased with his prediction as the pilots finished up. "Looks like I was right, General."  
Pepper nodded, somewhat upset at losing the bet. "Yes, yes you were. Nice work."  
"Thanks. I have one more thing to say to the team, and then I'm going to let them off for the day. Meet you and the group for a meal tonight?"  
"I'm up for it, assuming the team is. I'll let you know."  
"Don't forget the drinks. You know what I like. Talk to you later."  
Gary switched his headset back to the Starfox team, taking a glance at the final scores and times before speaking. "Congratulations on passing your first combat test. As for who won though..." He trailed off, building the tension somewhat. "Falco?"  
"Yes?" he questioned, eager to hear the next words.  
"You would of won if you didn't have that little bump at the end. Fox ended up being the victor because of it. Congratulations."  
Falco cursed as the rest of the team laughed at his expense. "You know what they say, Falco," commented Peppy. "The slow and steady always wins the race."  
"Nice try though," said Fox. "Better luck next time."  
Gary continued with his report. "Overall I am very impressed with your first flight test. I'll have individual reports written up and sent to the terminal in your room by morning. Hopefully, some of you will take my suggestions to thought. Now, if you have any questions, this is the time to ask. If not, you are dismissed until tomorrow. You've had enough for one day."  
Fox stretched as best he could in the confines of the simulator as he waited to see if anyone had any questions. He was about to turn off the power and exit the craft when he noticed something on the computer screen in front of him. It read, 'Impressive flying Fox McCloud'. He paused, staring at the message, waiting to see if something else would appear, but nothing did. Concerned, he turned off the power and climbed out.  
Taking a quick glance around the room, the vulpine saw the General talking to the rest of his team, passing out papers as he did so. He noticed Fox and turned to him. "Nice work so far, Junior." He passed over the paper he was holding as he continued. "Your performance evaluation from the computer. Your team scored quite high considering that this is your first test."  
Fox glanced at the paper before speaking. It held scores and figures from categories like accuracy, piloting skill, combat performance, and other interesting tidbits. One quick look was all it took before he knew that he scored rather well. "Thanks. I've always been impressed with my team, and it's nice to see that someone else other than one of us agrees with me." He glanced over his friends as he continued. "Anyway, let's go crew, we need to talk." He turned to leave.  
"One moment, Junior. I'd like to invite you and your team for dinner tonight at our lounge area upstairs."  
The vulpine looked surprised at being invited to dinner with their boss on their first day. To say that this seemed strange was an understatement. "Oh? Who's on the guest list?"  
"You four, Gary, and myself."  
Fox looked over his team, who gave him looks of approval back. "Making sure we don't get bored with the mess hall already, eh?" he said with a grin. "Sure, we'll be there. When and where?"  
"18:00 hours up on floor nine. You can't miss it as it's near the western elevator on that floor."  
He nodded. "Sounds good." Fox looked to make sure that everyone was following him before continuing. "See you then." He left, his team in tow.


	4. The Discussion

And another chapter gets posted after too long of a delay. I'll see what I can do as far as getting these up faster. And as always, please read and review.  
  
Thanks go out to a careful reader/reviewer by the name of RedBay for catching a slight name goof.  
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**Chapter 4: The Discussion**  
_I've always hated seeing 'the look'. Fox may be a smart fellow, and one that doesn't make many snap judgments, but after seeing that look, it becomes anybody's guess what he'll do next._ - Peppy 

The crew noticed Fox's concerned look as they walked back to their rooms. Peppy was the first one to comment upon this. "Fox, I've seen that look much too often on your face in my years knowing you. What's wrong?"  
Fox just shook his head and pointed up at a nearby security camera on the ceiling. "Has anybody seen one of these things in their rooms?"  
Peppy thought for a moment as everyone else voiced their negatives. "I don't think so, as I haven't spent much time looking around at the general décor of the room. I would hope there isn't."  
"Good. I have a few things to discuss then. My room good enough for all of you or should we choose a different one?" No one disagreed, so Fox continued. "We need to check the room out first though. I'll explain later."  
They arrived at their quarters shortly afterward. Fox touched his paw to the scanner and waved everyone in through the opened door. A few minutes were all it took to scour the room thoroughly for any type of listening device. At that point that the meeting started, the team getting comfortable wherever it suited them.  
The vulpine took command of the discussion from the beginning as expected, sitting on one of only two chairs in the room. "Okay, so we've finished our first day of training, for lack of a better word. I've gathered you all here to discuss what we think so far, and to go over anything else we might find interesting." He paused, looking over his team. "I bring up the first topic - who is our other pilot, or pilots, and are they spying on us. Round the table as usual everyone, starting with Falco."  
"Isn't that two separate topics?" questioned the avian from where he was sprawled on the bed, looking like he didn't care at all. In truth however, he was very interested in the proceedings. "As for the answer, I have no idea."  
Peppy shook his head. "I'm agreeing with what Fox is hinting upon - that they would be related."  
Slippy spoke up, last on the team to answer as usual. "They've let it slip that there is definitely someone else joining with us."  
Fox nodded. "Agreed. So, now we add in another question to that then - why hasn't the General introduced us?"  
"Whoever it is might not be here yet," said Falco thoughtfully.  
The hare leaned against the wall in comfort. "Could be," he said. "Or Pepper is worried about us four interacting with whoever our partners are."  
Slippy slowed the rapid responses as he decided on his answer, leaning back in the other chair. "I would say that this is a competition, but considering that this planet is the Lylat system's last stand, I wouldn't make a game out of it."  
Fox agreed. "Another good point. Could there be only four Arwings and more capable pilots?"  
"No way. These Arwings are not your usual craft that anyone could pick up and fly easily. Way too nimble for your average fighter jock."  
"Agreed. These are nothing like the in-system craft I used to fly back in my days."  
Slippy laughed. "You aren't that old, yet. Wait another 20 years or so and then you can say that."  
Fox grinned. "Look guys, Peppy is turning into an old geezer already." Everyone laughed at that remark, giving them a reprieve from the seriousness of the meeting. "Okay, so the General has access to more Arwings than the four we've seen. One wonders how many more. But that isn't my next topic. Instead, I feel like I'm being watched constantly. And before you say anything, I had a most interesting thing happen to me in the simulator."  
Peppy looked concerned. "Really?"  
"Yeah. Just before I was going to turn it off just a bit ago, a message appeared on the computer monitor saying, 'Impressive flying Fox McCloud', nothing more. What I want to know is that from our other pilots, or has Andross hacked into the computer systems here?"  
"Andross, hack into the systems here? His cronies always did the dirty work on Papetoon, and I don't see any of them around here."  
The hare agreed. "Security is too tight here in my opinion. That message couldn't have been from the General either, as we all know his preferred way of talking to you."  
Slippy did his best to imitate the General's way of saying Junior, but failed miserably, bringing laughs from everyone in the room once more. As it quieted down, he said his thoughts. "Nor is it Gary's way. He is very informal as we've all seen."  
"Right. So we have to assume it is from someone else. Question then - who keeps tabs on the cameras we've seen all over the place?"  
"I would assume there is a security detail and a room somewhere from where they work from," said Peppy, voicing his answer out of turn, irritating the avian slightly.  
"A place I'd like to see personally. I'll have to ask the General tonight about it if I remember." Fox paused, trying to think up other questions for the team. "I'm out of topics for the moment, anybody have one?" He pointed at Falco.  
"Yeah, I do. Where can I acquire a blaster like I've seen the bosses carry around?"  
"They were armed?" asked Slippy. "I didn't see that."  
He thought back to his earlier years, a life on the streets filled with danger around every turn. "It's something you tend to notice after you've been on the wrong end of one a few too many times."  
Fox shook his head. "No idea, but I have to assume there is some sort of a gunnery range on this base somewhere, and some way for the staff to defend themselves if need be. Something else to ask tonight. Anything else?" Falco kept quiet so he pointed at Peppy.  
"Hmmm…" The hare stood in thought for a moment. "Here's an odd one for you Fox - where did you get that helmet from?"  
"This thing?" He pulled the silver helmet off his head, flipping it over in his paws as he responded. "It was in my room when I first got in. I have to assume it came from the General. It seems familiar, almost as if it was my Dads, but… I don't really know." He shrugged. "I'll have to ask."  
"How does it work?"  
"No clue either. I'm assuming it will connect through either the Arwing communication systems, or through hand units we all should have on us." He groaned, realizing what he had just said. "Lovely, something else to ask. Having some easy way to talk to each other if needed would be useful as well."  
Peppy stood in silence, thinking over anything else he had to ask, but couldn't come up with anything else. Fox pointed at Slippy.  
"Well, I have more comments than questions. Falco, there is a gunnery range and quite a few other things scattered around here. Attached to the side of the computer, at least in my room, is a map of the base. Fox, if you want, I'll take a look at that helmet of yours. I'll find out how it works."  
The vulpine tossed his helmet over to Slippy, who also indicated that he had nothing else to say. He completely trusted the toad, even though odds were that he was going to completely dissemble the object in question. "Thanks. I have another question - does anyone have a good idea when Andross is supposed to attack?"  
"Evil shows up when it wants to do so, not on any kind of time schedule," said Peppy, knocking the group out of the normal flow again.  
Falco laughed. "If I could predict something as complicated as war, I'd be rich by now."  
Fox grinned. "Yeah, dumb question I guess. I have one final one for you all, and then I'll let you go. What do you think of the Arwing fighter? I'm interested in details for the most part."  
Falco started as usual. "I'm impressed that the brains behind this project made a craft this good. It has all the features you need in a good fighter – great speed, maneuverability, and impressive firepower. I hope they get the bugs out of it before we fly in actual combat though. I also hope that it performs as well for real as it does in the simulator."  
"I agree with Falco completely for once." The avian sneered but let Peppy continue. "It seems almost too agile for my tastes, but I'll get used to it in time. My only worry is the things we haven't tested yet – how good the shielding is on the Arwing, and how well the Nova Bomb system works. Something tells me though that we'll learn about that tomorrow."  
Slippy seemed almost lost in thought for a moment before starting. "Like everyone else, I'm impressed with the combat capabilities of the Arwing. The G-Diffuser system is my big worry though – it seems impossible in theory, but they've actually done it. I don't think it will get much use out of myself though, as it makes me sick to even think about it."  
Fox nodded, thinking about what everyone had said. "Good points everyone. I have to say, I'm impressed with the Arwing as well. This looks like the craft we need to take the fight back to Andross. My only concern is how much fuel the craft use during combat, and how that will affect our maximum traveling distances. Something else to bug the designers about I guess." He looked over to the clock next to the computer before continuing. "Well, we have roughly an hour until dinner. Let's meet back here a few minutes before six. Unless anyone else has any questions, you're free to go."  
Everyone shook their heads as they got up and left the room. Fox leaned back on his chair and wondered what he could do to occupy his free time.  


A few minutes later found the vulpine wandering the halls of the base, a rolled up map in his jacket pocket, looking for something to keep him occupied. Wanderlust quickly overcame him, as he walked down the hall to the western elevator, nodding in greeting to the occasional passerby. He reached the elevator quickly as the overall length of the base wasn't that great. Bored, he decided to go wander outside as he was interested in taking another look at the forest they had passed over earlier.  
He never got quite that far though. After reaching the first floor he glanced down the main hall, his gaze coming to rest on what looked like an oversized garden from his point of view. Curious, he wandered that way, coming to a stop in front of the sliding glass doors at the entrance.  
Looking at the sign on the wall next to the doors, and comparing it against the map he held, he found himself next to the base's botanical gardens, a greenhouse like enclosure that spanned six stories in height and half the width of the base.  
He glanced in, looking at the large variety of plants and trees inside. His interest peaked, Fox looked around for the way in. A small pad, about the size of the one on his door, beckoned him, so with no other option available he touched his paw to it. The glass door opened with his touch, revealing a small room with a desk and computer monitor, and a second door. As he walked in, the first door closed behind him, sealing shut with a hiss.  
Fox stood there a moment, not quite sure what to do. Fortunately for him, there was a preprogrammed sequence that was running in the smaller room. The monitor turned on a few seconds after he had entered the smaller room, showing the words, 'Scan complete. You may proceed inside.'  
The inner door opened with a hiss, allowing Fox full access to the botanical gardens. He was overwhelmed by smells of the garden at first - it had been a long time since he had been around anything short of rock and sand. Closing his eyes and breathing deeply through his nose, he quickly accustomed himself to the aroma with a smile. While his sense of smell wasn't close to Peppy's hearing in strength, it was more than good enough to pick up things like the sweet scent from the flowers lining the walkway, and the grass and trees nearby.  
Opening his eyes again, he took a good look around. He realized that calling this place a garden was somewhat of a wrong term - in addition to lots of flowers and plants, there were a dozen or so large trees towering over him. A small stream ran nearby, its babbling sound making him realize that there were other sounds in the garden as well. He could hear a breeze rustle the trees above him, and he could even hear the sounds of a few un-evolved birds chattering amongst themselves.  
Fox walked up to a large tree in the center of the garden, and let his gaze wander. From here, he could hardly tell that he was in a greenhouse of sorts. Between the grass, plants, bushes, and trees, his visibility was reduced just enough to keep him from seeing the edge of the garden and the glass walls that surrounded it.  
He leaned back against the tree, feeling the rough bark press against his paws and back. He closed his eyes again, attuning his senses to the sounds of nature all around him. His thoughts of the war quickly vanished as he did so, and he knew that he could easily spend quite a bit of time here relaxing.  
The soothing sounds were all he heard for a few minutes until it was suddenly broken by the sound of the door swishing open and closed. He ignored what he heard, knowing that whoever it was, they had the same right to be here as he did. It wasn't until he heard the sounds of somebody approaching him did he begin to wonder who it was.  
Fox listened to the footsteps come to a stop a few feet in front of him. Enjoying the silence too much to talk, he continued to ignore the newcomer. Suddenly a friendly sounding female voice asked, "Excuse me, are you Fox McCloud?"  
His opened his eyes slowly, taking a good look at who was talking to him. He saw a white furred canine, dressed in blue and pink shorts and matching short-sleeved shirt, standing there with an inquisitive gaze. She looked like a civilian to Fox, and he wondered what she was doing here. "Yes, that's me. Can I help you?"  
She tilted her head to one side and smiled, the pink ribbon tied in her headfur bobbing from her movements. "No, I don't need anything. I just thought you were him and I had to make sure."  
Fox grinned, wondering how quickly his so called popularity had spread. His mood lightened from the sudden attention, and he realized that he might as well gather some information while he was on her good side. "So, I'm that popular around here already, eh? What's your name? What do you do here?"  
"My name is Fay," she said, bowing slightly. "I'm basically into weapons development, but I design other things as well. As for your popularity, let's just say that the General's enthusiasm for you being here has spread to just about everyone."  
He wondered if everyone on this base held the same opinion of him. "I just hope that he isn't putting too much confidence in my team."  
Fay smiled. "Ah, don't worry. You're only here to save the entire system. Nothing much."  
"Well, if you put it that way, it sounds so easy." They both laughed for a bit before Fox continued, deciding to switch topics. "You said you were in weapons development, correct? That sounds like an entertaining job. Design anything interesting?"  
"As a matter of fact, yes. My team and I did quite a bit of development into the Arwing fighter."  
Fox's eyes lit up. "Really? Let your team know that they've done a very good job based on what I've seen so far."  
Fay looked very pleased with his remarks. "Thanks, I'll let them know. I know they'll appreciate the compliments."  
Standing there, Fox wondered just how much she knew of the base around him. "I have a question for you if you don't mind. Two actually." She motioned for him to continue. "Is it just me or does this base seem a tad, well, empty?"  
She frowned, her tone reflecting what she thought quite clearly. "Yes, empty it is. Even with Andross breathing down our necks the local government here doesn't believe in staffing us properly. Honestly, I'm surprised that we got the funding that we have right now. The General has tried his hardest to get more people in here, but this was the best he could do. He's hoping that the successful defense of Corneria, and the eventual counterattack against Andross, will be the turning point he needs to get us better staffed."  
"You make it sound like that the local government doesn't want to fight back." He wondered why he asked that question as soon as he said it, as he already knew the answer, just not from another's point of view.  
She nodded, agreeing with him. "Unfortunately that is the truth. They, and the population in general, believe that Andross will just go away if nothing is done against him. We here all know better though."  
He shook his head, wishing that the general populace knew what he knew. "Interesting. I never knew that it had gotten that bad out here as far as the feelings towards the war went. It seems like the work we did on Papetoon was appreciated, but–"  
"Papetoon? How long have you been on Papetoon?"  
He looked confused. "My team of four has been there for the last year and a half or so, Papetoon time. Why?"  
"So it was you," she said grinning. "Well, let's just say that the local government here has been going nuts trying to find out who has been doing all the deeds you guys did on Papetoon. However, thanks to you, that planet is basically the only one that is fully behind our war effort." Her look turned serious. "Then again it was hurt the most as far as Andross' raids went as well."  
Fox shook his head. "Well, it's nice to see that we were appreciated, even if it was for all the wrong reasons." The vulpine quieted for a moment as he remembered he had something else to ask. "As for my other question though, if you don't mind me changing the subject - why would a military base like this have such a nice garden here inside it?"  
"Personally I consider this a greenhouse of sorts instead of a garden, but as to your question, this greenhouse nicely supplements the air circulation systems in the base. You'd be surprised just how this place helps." She smiled. "And it looks so nice as well."  
"That much is true. This place is wonderful. I feel so at home here somehow."  
"It has the same effect on quite a few people. This place also has a little known secret - short of the sprinklers under your feet, and the lights lining the path, there is nothing electronic in this entire greenhouse. No clock, no speakers, no scanners, and no cameras."  
Fox looked confused again. "Scanners?"  
Fay rolled her eyes, amazed how little the vulpine knew. "They don't tell you anything around here, do they?" She pointed to the base's emblem on his flight jacket. "If I had to make a guess, you have a small computer chip in the jacket right about there. Either that or you'll get one when your team name is emblazoned on. What, did you think your paw got you in everywhere?"  
"Lovely," groaned Fox, not liking what he was hearing. "I'm hoping that the General just hasn't had the time to explain these things instead of the alternative. That and we did just get in this morning."  
"Possibly. He's had quite a few things on his mind as of late."  
Fox stood there for a moment, debating on how much time had passed. Thinking that he'd spent far longer than he should of, he said, "Well, I need to go. I have a dinner to get ready for shortly. Thanks for all the insider info."  
Fay turned to watch Fox leave, suddenly thinking of something she should tell him based on Pepper's known absentmindedness. "Anytime. One last thing though - may I recommend hitting the clothing shop on the second floor after your dinner. Just a hunch, nothing more."  
He laughed, realizing that he hadn't thought to look for the necessities when he was in his room earlier. He turned and waved, saying, "I'll do that. Thanks again."  
The canine stood there, watching both doors close behind Fox as he left the gardens. Once he was out of sight, she turned around and started to speak to the seemingly empty garden. "Sorry about taking so long. What's up?"  
Her response drifted down from halfway up the tree Fox had been leaning against the entire time, startling the canine for a moment. "Don't worry about it. Fox is one talkative guy, isn't he?"  
Fay tilted her head upwards, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. "That much is true. Also an uninformed one it seems when it comes to the basics." She smiled. "He's cute though."  
"I blame that on the General. I think he is pushing those pilots of his too hard."  
"And not you?" asked Fay.  
"No. Remember that I've been here from the beginning. I'm worried that the General is turning the Arwing training into a crash course of sorts. I just hope it doesn't blow up in his face."  
"Or yours. You are going to fly with them, are you not?" Fay paused for a moment, trying to find the hidden voice up in the trees. "Can't you come down? It's far easier to talk face to face."  
"I fully intend to fly with them when the General finally lets me in. Him and his blasted secrecy and other plans." A few of the branches moved, the person hiding among them stretching after staying absolutely still for so long. "You also know that I prefer it up here."  
Fay turned around and leaned against the tree the voice was coming from, looking upwards. "The General has his reasons for everything. At least that's my basic understanding of him anyway. He needs them combat trained as who knows when Andross will attack. Keep in mind that you are only a single pilot – you can't take on that ape's forces alone." She paused. "Also, my friend, I hear that they could use a few more forest rangers around the planet. You could try that as a profession."  
The voice from above laughed. "I've been a test pilot far too long silly, and you know it. Anyway, as for why I called you here, I have a few experiments I'd like to run. Care to help?"  
"Definitely. Let's go."  


A few minutes later found a now grumpy Fox back in his quarters. A quick check of his closet confirmed what Fay said - there was no additional clothing short of what he was wearing and what little he brought with him. He didn't have the time now to go out before dinner, so he decided to take the team out shopping afterward as he assumed everyone was as poorly stocked as he was.  
He unlocked his door, plopped down unceremoniously on his bed, and waited for everyone to arrive. His wait was not long, as Slippy wandered in shortly afterward, carrying Fox's helmet. "Hiya, Fox."  
"Hey, Slip." He pointed at the helmet, pleased to see it again for some reason. "Find anything interesting?"  
"I did. Here, catch." He tossed it over, the vulpine catching it effortlessly. "It's nothing too special - just a headset with five configurable channels you can choose from. Range seems to be pretty good as well." The door opened up behind Slippy with a swish. "I'll tell you about it later."  
Peppy walked in, looking like he had something to say. "Evening, Fox, Slippy. Fox, I noticed a slight problem with our rooms a bit ago."  
"No spare change of clothing?"  
"There's..." The hare stopped mid-sentence, looking dumbfounded. "How did you know?"  
"I have psychic powers my friend, how else?" He laughed, enjoying the look on his friend's face as he so rarely ever caught him off-guard. "Sorry. I had an interesting chat with one of the Arwing designers earlier. She knew quite a few things. I'll tell you about it later. Find anything else interesting?"  
"Other than the fact that this base is running at minimal staffing, not much."  
"Also known and noted," said Fox as he put his helmet on. "Now, where is—" His door swished open again, admitting Falco. "Hey, Falco, right on time. Find anything?"  
The avian looked among the assembled group, ignoring as best he could the rumbling from his stomach. "Hey guys. Not much, Fox, but I'll tell you later. I'm starved."  
"Thinking with your stomach again, Falco?" joked Peppy.  
"You've lived off the same junk that I did this last year and a half. This is real food. I'm not missing out on this."  
Fox laughed. "Agreed, let's go eat."


	5. The Evening

Moving right along, here's chapter 5. While shorter than the rest so far, it does hold one important event for the team. As always, please read and review.  
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**Chapter 5: The Evening**  
_This base is just so empty. It's so silent as I walk around the nearly vacant corridors. At least there are some friendly faces scattered around. I'm just worried that the lack of staffing will be the end of us._ - Fox 

The four worked their way up to the 9th floor with Fox explaining his encounter with Kay on the way. While Peppy commented about the odds of running into someone that important at such an out of the way location, the rest of the crew thought it was nothing more than random chance.  
They reached the proper floor after a short trip, and as the elevator opened, they saw Gary standing outside the lounge. The team waved to him as he quickly showed them inside.  
They found the General already seated in the well-decorated room, a menu in his paws. Everyone else took their seats, looking through the menu as they got comfortable. Fox eyed some of the selections appreciatively. "Wow, you guys eat well up here."  
Pepper put down his menu. "Actually, Junior, we, nor the staff we have that are allowed up here, tend to take advantage of this."  
"Yeah," agreed Gary. "We eat the same boring food that everyone else does downstairs most of the time. Personally I think the pictures of Generals past and their achievements on the walls here creeps me out, so I don't come up here much. We do order pizza for up here every so often though."  
Fox and his team laughed while Pepper just shook his head. "Let me know when you're ready to order." He gazed at the menu, trying to decide what to choose. After their eating habits on Papetoon these last few months, the selections available to him were extravagant. Making up his mind, he nodded to the General.  
They had a few minutes to burn before dinner, so Fox decided to ask a question or two while they waited. "So, Pepper, we've been wondering - have you any guesses on when Andross is going to attack?"  
Gary shook his head as the General looked over, making him answer the question. "As I said on the message to you before, the only indications we have are of a buildup of Andross' forces, and nothing more."  
"Also, incase you were wondering, that is why we are rushing your training," added the cheetah. "Formal training would take quite a bit longer, but we are skipping quite a few of the basics in the hopes that you catch on quickly. Thankfully so far we've been right."  
"That explains the combat test first day," said Fox.  
Gary nodded. "That and you'll be going through more advanced training exercises tomorrow instead of staying with the basics."  
"Sounds like fun." Fox was going to ask another question when he heard the door swish open allowing the catering service to enter. "Wow, they're quick."  
Pepper smiled. "Well, Junior, as the chefs are ready at a moments notice for the entire staff on base, feeding the six of us is easy." Their selections were placed in front of them as he talked. "Eat up everyone."  
With no further prodding, the team dug right in, going through their meals very quickly. Pepper passed around a fine selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and Gary kept them entertained with a collection of humorous stories from back at his academy days.  
Fox leaned back in his chair, a glass of fruit juice in one paw. He thought about taking another glass of the wine that Pepper was serving, but he knew his limits. He glanced at his empty plate, amazed that even he could go through a steak that big in just a few minutes. "Pepper, I must admit, I haven't had a meal like that in ages. Compliments to the chef."  
The General only nodded as he was in the middle of a bite. Peppy swirled the juice around in his glass as he said, "You know, Fox, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you haven't eaten in a week."  
"Bah." Fox noticed that Peppy's wineglass was still clean. While it wasn't unusual, he expected him to at least take a glass. "No drinks for you tonight my old friend?"  
He shook his head. "No thanks. You know I stay away from the hard stuff, unlike Falco over there."  
The vulpine glanced at his teammate. As usual, he had just gone over his limit as far as alcohol was concerned. He never had enough to put him under, or really hamper him in any way, but Fox could identify the tipsy look in Falco's eyes. "What?" he grumbled, irritated at being stared at. "When was the last time we've had a good drink anyway?"  
"Not long enough as far as I'm concerned," commented Slippy quietly from the other end of the table. He knew that his teammate's usual arrogant attitude was amplified by his drink, and he had seen him down one too many before.  
"Quiet down you two," said Fox, quickly restoring order. "We'll have none of that here."  
Gary put down his drink and said, "I do say, I haven't seen anyone eat like that in some time. Now, who wants dessert?" The groans from the stuffed pilots were clearly heard. "Fine then, more for me." He waved over a caterer to get himself more to eat.  
The General looked over to his subordinate, shaking his head. "You four might eat quite a bit, but Gary over here eats us out of house and home."  
"So I like to eat." The cheetah pointed a spoon over at Pepper's stomach as he continued. "At least I tend to work it off unlike you."  
Fox and company laughed as Pepper almost dropped his drink in shock. "I don't know about you, Pepper, but that sounds like fighting words if I've ever heard them."  
The canine quickly calmed down and took a sip from his glass as he decided on his response. "Well, Junior, Gary over here is just lucky that I respect him so much. A lesser soul would have been tossed out a window by now."  
Gary waved his spoon around as he said, "See what I have to put up with around here? My boss has no respect for the work I do."  
"No, I have nothing against your work, just your comments towards me and my stomach." Everyone in the room laughed.  
"Don't worry about it, Pepper," said Fox. "A little extra weight is good for you. Besides, it helps your leadership look." He covered his mouth in shock, unable to believe what he had just said.  
"Now everyone is against me." The room broke out into laughter again.  
"Sorry, I think that was the alcohol talking." Fox was now glad he didn't take that extra drink as he realized that he had a tad too much already. He knew it was time to leave, before one of them said something that they all would regret tomorrow. "Pepper, I have a quick question for you, and then I think it will be time to call it a night for all of us."  
"Getting rid of you seems like the proper thing to do, so ask away."  
He grimaced, even though he expected it. "Ouch. What do we need to do to buy stuff around here on the base?"  
Pepper and Gary both looked confused, so Falco added in his jumbled thoughts. "We need clothes."  
Peppy was occupied stopping his laughter with a sip of his drink, so that left Slippy to clarify everything. "I think what our teammates mean is that its come to our attention that we have no clothing in our rooms."  
The hare recovered enough to talk. "These flight suits are comfortable and all, but I wouldn't want to sleep in them."  
The General finally understood. He wondered just how many important things he had forgotten to say with his mind so preoccupied thanks to recent events. "Ah, whoops. Care to explain Gary?"  
"Letting me do all the work again?" The cheetah cringed under the sudden angry stare of Pepper, trying to get his alcohol-laden mind working again. "Okay, okay, I get your drift, let me explain. Your jackets contain an, uh, identification chip of sorts. There are scanners scattered over the base that keep track of that chip's signal. All items you can purchase have one as well. There are signs in the shops that tell you what to do. It's easy."  
"Good," said Fox. "Unless anyone has an objection, I think it is time to go. Once again, Pepper, excellent dinner. The wine was a tad too strong though if you ask me."  
The General laughed. "Agreed. Last time I let any one of you near the good stuff as it seems to go straight to your heads. Also, I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow at 08:00."  
Falco groaned as Fox said, "Okay, see you then. Time to go shopping team."

Two hours later found Pepper and Gary in the control room of the base. The room was empty of people, short of a single female lynx who had the lone duty shift that night at the com station. The job was an interesting one though - watch all traffic passing into or out of Corneria, and to listen in on the general communication traffic between ships and planets. The night shift was the dull time of the day however, due to the lack of general travel on their side of the planet.  
Pepper walked up to the lynx, smiling to get her attention so she would take off her headset. "Good evening, Celine."  
She saluted, her tan fur ruffling from the sudden movement. "Good evening, sir."  
"Anything interesting tonight?"  
Celine shook her head. "No, sir. It has been a rather dull night so far. Although the few traders we still have flying around the system believe that something is going to happen soon."  
"Anything specific?"  
"Andross mainly. They believe he is going to attack shortly."  
"Interesting." He figured he might as well say something to ease the worries clearly seen on her face. "For the record, I have not seen any activity as of yet."  
"Yes, sir." She noticed Gary behind the General, standing at military rest. "Your usual survey into planetary security tonight, sir?"  
Pepper nodded. "You know me too well I'm afraid."  
"I'll go take a break then, sir." She passed her headset over to Gary, walking out of the room without a second glance.  
The General watched the door close behind him then sighed, thinking out loud. "I hate lying to my staff like that. But if everyone knew what we know it would cause planetary panic."  
"Which is why we do what we do, Pepper," said his second-in-command as he walked over to a lone computer terminal in a corner, passing by the many other consoles nearby, picking up and putting on the headset absentmindedly incase it was needed.  
The canine on the other hand moved to one of the many windows surrounding the room and stared out into the night sky. "It is so quiet and peaceful out there. It's amazing to think that we're at war right now, as nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. He turned around. "Let's get an update, Gary, and get this over with."  
"Aye," he replied as he typed in a multitude of passwords into the computer he was sitting at.  
The computer in question had a single purpose - collect and report the data on the many satellites scattered through the system. While the general public thought they were nothing but an early warning system for galactic intruders, only a handful of people knew their true purpose - they could be used to spy most anywhere in the system, although their range was limited most of the time owing to the fact that they didn't want them to be detected.  
Gary waved the General over, not liking what he was seeing on his screen. "It looks like Andross is finally coming. I'm detecting movement above Venom headed towards us."  
Pepper cursed, knowing that Venom was the home planet of Andross' forces. "How long do we have?"  
"I'm not quite sure - give me a second." The cheetah made a few calculations on the computer, coming up with an answer after a short delay. "Based on current speed and travel path, about two and a half Cornerian days."  
"Damn. What are we going to face?" He looked down with concern as he realized that the ETA seemed to be off. "And why is he taking so long?"  
"As for the time, I'm not quite sure. It looks like a standard Venomian battleship, the type that was used to start the war. If I'm remembering correctly, I know they can go faster than this one is." Gary turned so he was face to face with Pepper. "What are we going to do?"  
The General sighed, knowing that there was only one thing they could do. "Nothing." Gary was about to object but he put up a paw to stop him. "What else can we do? We watch and monitor this as they get closer, and you work harder with the team."  
He didn't like that answer at all. "But shouldn't we tell the public?"  
"And cause the biggest riot in Cornerian history? We would have to tell the people about our little military program we have here, and we would lose what surprise we would have in deploying them."  
Gary was silent for a moment as he debated on what was said. "I guess you're right."  
He nodded. "I hope I am. Besides, something tells me Andross is going to use the same tactics he has used before - attack any military outpost before demanding surrender. That will stop or at least minimize any threat to civilians."  
"Your theory seems sound. I hope it doesn't backfire in our faces." He pointed to the computer behind him. "Need anything else?"  
He shook his head, not wanting to see any other problems in the system, especially since he never liked using the device in the first place. As far as he was concerned, the citizens deserved to know about this, even though it was beneficial that it remained a secret. "No, turn it off. I don't need any other bad news for tonight."  
Gary powered down his terminal quickly, joining the General at the door afterward. Pepper turned around, enjoying the peace and quiet as he commented, "It's hard to imagine that we'll be at war in a matter of a few days here. I've so enjoyed how nice and quiet it is in this part of the world."  
"Peace never lasts, Pepper," said Gary quietly as he returned the headset to the com station. "Our history is a rather nice example of that. Let's just hope that we succeed this time around."  
"Agreed."  
The two walked out of the command center, running into Celine the moment the door closed behind them. She turned towards Pepper and asked, "Are you all done for the night, sirs?"  
Pepper nodded. "Yes we are. Enjoy the rest of your shift."  
The two turned to walk off, but the lynx had one last question. "Sir, I have a question for you if you don't mind." He indicated that she could continue. "Truthfully, sir, are we going to win this war?"  
The canine hesitated before giving an answer, surprised at the question. "I... I hope so. I will do everything in my power to get through this, and I know that my pilots will do the same. Just keep up with your job and we should all be fine."  
Celine smiled. "Thank you for the honest answer, sir. Good night." She turned and walked into the command room.  
Gary waited until they were alone again then said, "See, telling the truth isn't all that hard."  
Pepper turned to his subordinate and laughed. "Don't you have anything better to do than patronize me?"  
The cheetah laughed back. "Ah, back to your old self again, eh? Fine then. I need to get back to work. Talk to you tomorrow." The two split off, each with many things on their mind.


	6. Enter The Andross

And here's Chapter 6 for those of you who've been keeping track. While a short chapter, it does bring to light somebody rather important to this whole story...  
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**Chapter 6: Enter The Andross**  
_Ah yes, the Lylat system. You thought that exile would simply get rid of me for good, didn't you? Well you're wrong. And that mistake will be your undoing. I will have my revenge._ - Andross 

The planet Venom was a mostly inhospitable place. Other than around the capitol itself, the planet's atmosphere was thin and hostile to most lifeforms. The lizards that inhabited the planet were mostly resistant to the dangers. There was one terrible plague however, that they were not immune to.  
His name was Andross.  
Andross was a proud and tall ape, his fur a light gray amongst most of his body. After his exile to the planet Venom roughly two years before, he had used his intelligence and leadership skills to turn this backwater planet into his unstoppable army.  
Bent on revenge of the planet Corneria, he marched across the system with his fleet. He took what he wanted, he destroyed what he thought might turn into a threat. What little resistance he met was annihilated. He left the population mostly alone however. In his mind, they would make excellent slaves once he was done.  
Now his sights were set on the only planet he hadn't conquered: Corneria.  
Andross sat inside his control room, in the middle of the only large city on the planet. The city had a name to the lizards, but he didn't care. He knew his rule was solidified with his intimidating nature, fear, and a large machine he had gotten the lizards to construct as soon as he had risen into power.  
The device was what he called a Telekinetic Amplifier. Located in a protected room not too far from where he was, it allowed him to increase his latent mind powers of telepathy and telekinesis to impressive levels, letting him monitor and control minds from across the planet.  
He leaned back in his chair, reminiscing on how easy it was to dominate the planet once he realized that his limited powers of mind control worked on the simpleminded lizards. Once he got into power, and had his Telekinetic Amplifier built, the entire planet was ripe for the taking.  
Knowing that he had a galaxy to conquer, Andross got back to work. His gaze moved to a multitude of monitors in front of him, each one displaying a video feed of someplace on the planet that was vital to him. It allowed him to easily keep an eye on his workers and adjust them if necessary with his Amplifier. Watching each of the screens in turn, nothing seemed to be amiss, so he moved on to his other problem.  
The citizens of the Lylat system were a simple lot, only wanting their peaceful life back. Once he conquered a planet, little was done to anger him, as everyone feared retaliation. One planet however, had continued to resist him: Papetoon.  
Andross cursed silently to himself as he thought of that desert planet. Ever since he'd conquered it some time ago, a group of rebels had fought constantly to make life difficult for his gathering parties. Troop transports were consistently damaged, supply convoys had goods stolen from them mid-flight. He had even lost a few ships altogether.  
He'd only heard a single name from every craft that had been hit: McCloud. That person had caused nothing but problems for Andross. Everywhere he went, everything he did, it was always stopped by that same name. He had made a guess some time ago that it was the son of the same McCloud who ended up on the wrong end of his final experiment back at his former place of employment - development of a new weapon for the Cornerian Military. He had purposely made sure that the experiment would end in failure, killing the pilot sent to attempt it.  
That pilot was James McCloud, father of Fox McCloud. The military was never able to prove that Andross had done it purposely, but they had uncovered enough evidence to show that he was working against the peaceful nature of the planet by developing his own weapons of destruction, so they had exiled him to Venom as permanent punishment.  
Fox never knew the exact full story, but he had pieced together enough of the details to make his own assumption.  
Andross himself never cared for the details. All he knew was that he was very close to ruling the system himself. It wasn't until today did he learn for sure that Fox was the one who was stopping him on Papetoon.  
Sitting on his desk was a small newspaper clipping from one of his spies on the planet, detailing his latest failure - the capture of a certain daughter to acquire an enormous ransom. One of the other passengers onboard that transport had gotten a photo of Fox, showing him near Andross' defeated troops, and sent the picture to the media. He angrily held the clipping in his hands for only a moment before shredding it into tiny bits.  
The ape cursed to nobody in particular, his relatively good mood now ruined. His anger quickly intensified when a light on the control panel in front of him lit up, indicating he had a call. He activated his headset with a growl. "What do you want?"  
A worried lizard responded on the other end, debating if he should call back at a later time. Unfortunately, his call was expected, so he couldn't skirt his duties. "Sir, this is the battleship Vengeance, reporting in as you requested. We are underway, sir."  
Andross smiled, knowing that the end was soon to come to Corneria. "Good. What's your ETA?"  
"Two days Venom time, as you requested, sir. If I may ask though, sir, why—"  
The lizard was cut off. "No, you may not ask. Just make sure you're ready for combat as soon as you arrive at Corneria."  
"Yes, sir."  
Andross discontinued the connection as he thought of his strategy. He knew that Corneria had some way of detecting his ship movements, so he planned to let them know he was coming days in advance. He grinned, knowing the panic he would cause. "Only two days until the entire system is mine," he said with a smile.


	7. A Day in the Life of Starfox

Wasting no time, here's the next chapter for your reading enjoyment. Please read and review!  
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**Chapter 7: A Day in the Life of Starfox**  
_I don't care what the others think – I like this base. I enjoy the silence personally, and everything is so high-tech. I just wish they would let me take a good look at those Arwings._ - Slippy 

Dawn broke slowly over the military base the next morning, the lingering shadows taking their time in going away.  
Even slower to get going was Fox McCloud, a gigantic yawn plastered on his face for a few seconds before coming to an end. His sleepy eyes roamed around the room, coming to rest on the digital clock on the wall. Mind wandering, he finally came to the conclusion that it read 7am, and that it was time to get up and get going.  
Yawning again, Fox stumbled out of bed with one thing on his mind - a shower. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he searched through his closet for the essentials he had purchased the night before and wandered into the washroom.  
A half hour passed before the washroom opened again, revealing the vulpine dressed in another basic military uniform. He found the flight jacket he had thrown onto a chair the night before, put it on, and then meandered out of the room in a hunt for breakfast.  
The walk to the mess hall was a short one, as the team had been conveniently located on the same floor. Once inside, Fox gathered that about half of the base's population was currently there, all enjoying the food and company before starting another long day at work.  
Grabbing some pancakes and eggs off the self-service bar, he glanced around for his teammates. He found Peppy in one corner, a mug in one paw and some kind of datapad in the other.  
He sat down across from his teammate, who acknowledged his presence with a nod. He smiled, noticing the smell of coffee emanating from Peppy's cup instantly. "You know how bad that stuff is for you, old hare," he said.  
"You get to my age and try to get going without a cup," he responded, putting the mug down on the table. He waved the pad in his other paw as he continued. "This morning's news is rather interesting, Fox."  
"Is that what that is?" he asked as he gestured towards the pad.  
"Yes, and it's an interesting little gadget as well. It holds all the newspapers from around the system, and gets updated daily." Peppy took another sip from his cup before continuing. "Did you know you are considered a hero on two different planets already?"  
Fox dropped his silverware onto his plate with a clang. "What?"  
As if expecting the reaction, he touched the screen a few times then spun the pad around so Fox could read it, talking as he did so. "The Cornerian Globe has you in its 'News From Around the Galaxy' section. It seems that someone had a camera on that transport we were on."  
Fox glanced through the article, shaking his head as in disbelief as he did so. He didn't need this, not now. "I'm no hero, Peppy, and you know it."  
The hare grinned, having heard the same speech from Fox's father before. "Tell that to the Papetoon Times. You were front page material to them." He grabbed the pad and changed papers with a few taps before passing it back. "Amazingly they didn't inflate your heroics in the slightest."  
He read the story in its entirety, munching on his breakfast as he did so. "I'm impressed that the Venomian Military hasn't shut this paper down by now."  
"You know it's an underground paper, just like any of the rebellion groups on the occupied planets. To them, any opposition is published well. Getting the material out is another matter entirely."  
"But I am not a hero."  
Peppy shook his head. He had a feeling the vulpine was going to say that. "Fox, you, and all of us for that matter, are the first hope these people have had since the invasion. No matter what you think, you are, or will be, a hero to them. Just accept it, and in time, you may even believe it yourself."  
Fox sighed as he considered a response. "I'm not going to win this, am I?" Peppy shook his head again. "Fine then. To change the subject, have you seen anyone else this morning?"  
The hare nodded. "Slippy left a few minutes before you came in, but I haven't seen Falco yet." He paused for a moment. "That reminds me. Slippy wanted me to tell you that our reports are in from Gary on our computers."  
"Good to hear. What did your report say?"  
"Nothing too much, other than telling me things that'll be fixed with some additional time in the Arwings."  
"I'll look over mine when I get back." Fox finished the last bite of his meal before continuing. "Peppy, I've been meaning to ask you - why did you suggest Starfox as our team name?"  
Peppy smiled, his gaze becoming unfocused for a moment as he remembered old times. "Your father told me some time ago that he always wanted to have his own ship, his own command, and pilots working with him. He wanted to call his team Starfox. Let's just say it's an honor to let the name live on at least."  
Fox was silent for a minute as he remembered his father and his dreams. He wondered how different his life would be had he still had both of his parents, or even just one of them. "Thanks."  
"Anytime." Peppy glanced past the vulpine for a moment, looking at the new arrivals in the mess hall. "Falco's here. He doesn't look too happy either."  
With a grin he responded, remembering the meal the team had the night before. "After how much he had last night to drink, I'm not surprised. That was some strong stuff."  
"Ah, the wondrous side effects of alcohol. Another reason why I tend to let the drinks pass me by." Falco spotted the duo and wandered over to their table. "Good morning, Falco."  
"Morning yes, a good one no," grumbled the avian quietly as he took a sip of the coffee he brought with him, wincing at the loudness of the voices around him. "Can you keep it down?"  
"Had a bit too much of the General's best, eh, Falco?" asked Fox jokingly, ignoring the request for the moment.  
"Stuff it," he snapped back.  
Fox laughed. "Well, I can see I'm not going to get much out of you this morning." He picked up his plate and stood up. "I'll see you two shortly. Remember, 8am sharp at my place. I'm assuming that the General is going to meet us there." He dropped off his plate and walked out of the mess hall in a much more jovial mood than he was when he entered.  
Walking back into his room, Fox sat down at his computer and began reading through the performance evaluations that Gary sent over last night. As expected, he had the reports for his entire team as well. Overall, his team did amazingly well considering that they had never flown the Arwings before. He was pleased to read that, as he knew he only had the best under his command.  
Gary had left some personal comments at the end of the report. "You have a rather talented team Fox, and they're all very quick learners. I hope that they continue to show their excellence when you go through team based maneuvers on your second day."  
Fox smiled, knowing the compliments would be well received by the rest of the team. He was going to take another look through the reports when he heard the door open to his room, so he turned his chair around to greet the visitor.  
Peppy walked through the doorway, nodding in greeting as he entered. The door was about to close when Slippy wandered in as well. "Morning, Fox," said the toad.  
"Morning you two. Take a seat anywhere. Peppy, is Falco on his way?"  
He nodded in response. "He said he would be right in when I left." They all heard a knock at the door. "Must be him."  
"It's open," yelled Fox. To his momentary surprise, the General walked in. He glanced at the clock as he continued. "Good morning, Pepper. What brings you here this early?"  
"Time is meaningless when it comes to the defense of your planet, Junior, and I can do as I please. Where's—" The door opened, admitting Falco.  
"Right on time, Falco," said Fox. "This is becoming your standard." Falco glared at the vulpine but said nothing with Pepper standing right there.  
The General looked at the crew assembled in the room. "I just have one thing to say and then it is time to get back to training. You all had a very impressive first day in the simulators. If you continue to do as well as you did yesterday, we'll have a serious chance against Andross. Now let's get to work."  
The group left Fox's room, eager to get back to training.

The second day went much like the first, but this time all the training was group based. They practiced formation flying and learned how effective the Arwing's firepower could be when combined as a team.   
Combat training was much more intense as well. Instead of shooting down practice dummies, they were firing upon more mobile targets, mainly computer representations of the fighter craft they might go up against when they attacked Andross. It also showed the effectiveness of flying as a team, as they could all watch each other's backs in combat.  
After a short break for lunch, their training continued against a simulation of the battleship and a portion of its fighter compliment that was bearing down on the planet. Although Pepper and Gary had not told the Starfox team of Andross' imminent attack, it was a very powerful indicator of how well the team worked together in battle.  
Gary was up in the command center, looking over their training with a watchful eye. "Pepper, two things - this line is secure, and the results are coming in on the latest test." He paused, waiting for the final result, laughing once he saw it. "The team's overall rating is a whopping 115%. I knew that test was too easy."  
The General was once again in the simulator room, watching their progress as before. "It isn't that the test is too easy it's because they are very skilled."  
"That could be true. Remember the challenge we had passing this when we designed it?"  
Pepper laughed, thinking back. It had not gone well for them at all, as combat was clearly not their forte. "Ah yes, those were the times. Do you have anything else to throw at them today, or do you think they are ready for the real thing tomorrow?"  
"I'd like them to have more experience in the simulators personally, but we just don't have the time."  
"Shall we give them the final exam then?"  
"Sounds like a plan. This will give them a true test of their flying skills." Gary flicked a switch on his headset. "Starfox team, Gary here. Impressive flying out there once again."  
"Many thanks," replied Fox. "I have only the best on my team."  
"Good. This will be an interesting challenge then. I'm changing the program you are running. You'll now be above Corneria City, with each one of you basically starting in a corner equidistance apart."  
After a brief fade to black the view outside of Fox's Arwing switched to one high above the city. He smiled as looked over his hometown, wondering how detailed this simulation was. "What's our goal?"  
"Simple. Last pilot flying takes the win. No rules other than that. Also, the citizens of this city won't mind if you do some creative reconstructing, if you get what I mean. Your Nova Bombs will be disabled however, as I don't want to see half the city go down in a single shot."  
There was a small uproar from the team before Fox got them calmed down. "So you want us to shoot at each other. Why do I think that this is a bad idea?"  
"Actually, Fox, this allows you to experience your team's strengths and weaknesses, and it tends to be a great way to get pilots to improve. Remember, you can learn from getting shot down here, but you can't do so when you fly the real thing."  
Pepper had the final word before the fight. "Keep in mind that this is only a game, and only for fun. Don't hold a grudge if you are shot down. Enjoy yourselves. May the best pilot win!"  
Fox listened for any other helpful hints from his superiors, but upon hearing nothing else, he said, "I still say that this is a bad idea."  
"I disagree with you, Fox," said Peppy. "Remember your Academy days - there were quite a few combat tests against each other."  
While he knew that what was being said was true, it didn't mean that he had to like it. "I guess you're right. I have one additional rule then - since there are so few of us here, no ganging up on each other. Let's get at it."  
Fox kicked in his boosters sending his Arwing high above the city, planning to let his opponent come to him. Flipping his Arwing upside down, he scanned the city below, keeping an eye on his radar as he did so.  
His computer picked up two other Arwings as they sped through the city below. From the ID signals that the craft gave off, it seemed like Falco was chasing after Slippy. Fox grinned as he watched, knowing that while Slippy's odds weren't good as he dodged Falco's shots, he would give the avian a decent challenge.  
Fox looked through the city below, trying to find where Peppy flew off to. He suddenly realized where the hare was as an alarm blared and his craft shook from blaster fire. He dove towards the city, missing another barrage of fire as he did so. "Well, old hare, you think you can take me on? I relish the challenge."  
"The teacher always wins, Fox," said Peppy, following him into the dive.  
"We'll see about that." Fox leveled his craft a few feet off street level, and began to weave through the city, daring Peppy to do the same.  
The hare continued to follow, firing off his blasters whenever he had a chance of hitting. The other Arwing was much too maneuverable though, as most of his shots struck the buildings instead of his target.  
Fox enjoyed the chase through the outskirts of the city, buildings passing by in a blur, but he grew tired of just dodging. Eying the downtown district, and the huge skyscrapers within, he punched the boosters, heading up towards the larger buildings.  
Peppy chased after the vulpine, scoring a few hits against his shields. "You're making this too easy, Fox," he commented, expecting far more out of the other pilot.  
"Follow me if you can," he replied as he wove around a building. Suddenly he punched the G-Diffuser system, twisting his craft around and sending it the opposite direction, ignoring the feeling in his stomach as the simulator tried to compensate for the maneuver.  
Peppy wasn't ready for that trick, and the two craft passed by each other harmlessly. He swung his craft around to follow Fox, but was unable to find him. His radar was clear as well, due to the skyscrapers reflecting or dissipating the signal.  
Fox on the other hand had turned off his radar system entirely, making it harder for the hare to find him. He sped above the rooftops hoping to catch sight of his target. Luck was on his side as he caught a glimpse of the other Arwing, and dove towards the craft.  
Peppy was about to go vertical and escape the confines of the city when his radar locked onto his opponent. Unfortunately by that time, Fox was already firing. His Arwing shuddered as the blaster fire clashed with his shields. Cursing, he pulled his craft into a barrel roll combined with a G-Diffuser powered turn halfway up.  
Fox followed Peppy's every move. "Now the hunter becomes the hunted," he said quietly. He continued to fire, connecting with his target far more than the other did before. He was pleased with his success so far, even if he was shooting at one of his teammates.  
The hare's years of experience ended up being little help against an opponent that you couldn't shake long enough to fire upon. He tried every maneuver he knew, every tactic he had been taught, he even did tricks that he wouldn't dare try if he weren't in a simulator. In the end it didn't matter. Once his shields failed, it didn't take much longer before his Arwing was crippled beyond flight. He grimaced as he unlocked and pulled the ejection handle, sending the main capsule of his craft high into the air. "Nice work there, Fox," he said as the simulation ended for him.  
Fox smiled, knowing that his win was a well deserved one. "You fly well, Peppy, but I had to finish you off. No hard feelings I hope, old friend." He never paid too much attention to the response though, as he spotted Falco in the distance.  
Falco's first target had been Slippy due only to the fact that the computer had locked onto his craft first by pure luck. He grinned, knowing that while the toad had some decent flying skills, he was no real match for himself in the cockpit without some serious training. After downing him, he found that he was left with only Fox to go after. Spotting the vulpine, he sped off after him.  
"So it is just you and I, Falco," said Fox, readying himself for the fight ahead. "This should be interesting."  
"More like a slaughter. I'll take you down as easily as I did Slippy."  
He laughed, knowing that there was no way that he'd allow that to happen. "I highly doubt that."  
The two Arwings sped towards each other, both craft firing then spinning out of the way. The pilots pushed their craft and their stomachs to the limit as they each spun their ships around, attempting to get behind the other.  
Fox grew tired of all the dodging around, and he knew that his stomach couldn't take much more either thanks to how the simulators were set up. Pouring on the speed, he hurtled through the city, changing directions constantly to avoid the firepower that was impacting on the buildings around him. "You couldn't hit the broadside of a base," he taunted.  
Infuriated, Falco unloaded another barrage of blasters that once again missed its target, causing a nearby building to explode in a shower of metal. "Sit still so I can blow your ass out of the sky!" he yelled.  
"You have to catch me first." Fox knew he couldn't wear down Falco, and his only real chance of winning like this would be complete luck. Eyeing an open parking garage in the distance, he decided to do some creative reconstruction of his own. Taking careful aim over multiple passes, he destroyed a few of the main support struts holding up the building. Realizing that its collapse was imminent, he pressed his luck and flew through the crumbling structure.  
Falco was confused as to why Fox was shooting at the garage, but his building anger quickly overruled any common sense he had. Firing his blasters the entire time, he charged after the other Arwing. It wasn't until he was halfway inside did he realize that he had been tricked.  
With nowhere to dodge as he escaped the crumbling building, the vulpine watched as his shields collapsed from Falco's desperate shots. Alarms blared as the armor around his engine and G-Diffuser system began taking hits. The blaster fire suddenly stopped as he heard the avian yell, "You scheming pile of—" Fox laughed to himself as he escaped with only a little damage.  
"Interesting tactic there, Junior," said Pepper suddenly. Fox could hear the cheering of his teammates in the background, quickly stopping when he assumed Falco came out of the simulator. "Nice work."  
"Thanks. Tell Falco that he was a most challenging opponent. Should I..." Fox suddenly noticed another ship pop up on his radar screen. "Pepper, who just entered the simulation?" He heard nothing but silence on the other end, which worried him greatly. "Pepper? Gary, what's going on here?" Once again he got no response.  
Suddenly concerned, Fox hurriedly checked over the status of his Arwing. His shields had only recharged up to 50%, and the computer indicated that his booster system had been damaged, but was still functional. He tried to contact the new ship, attempting to figure out who or what he was up against. "Identify yourself unknown craft."  
He heard an odd sounding computer generated voice respond to his inquiry. "Most interesting fighting tactics, Fox McCloud. Nothing quite that simple will work against me however. As for my identity, I'm your final challenge." The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "Good luck."  
Fox grew even more concerned when the computer identified his opponent - another Arwing. He smiled though, knowing that his suspicions were correct. There was an additional pilot on his team. Either that or this was somebody's sick idea of a joke.  
The two Arwings clashed in a blaze of firepower a few seconds later. Fox knew instantly that he fighting his equal, if not his better. The unknown pilot flew with complete knowledge of the capabilities of their craft, while he only had his natural flying talent to back him up. A minute passed, then another, neither pilot able to do any kind of damage to the other, nor giving up on position. The vulpine debated on breaking off and letting the newcomer chase him around, but he didn't dare take the chance.  
In the end however, it was the other craft that finally broke away first. "Catch me if you can, Fox McCloud," it taunted, suddenly shooting off through the city. Fox kept chase as they dodged around and through buildings, but as they reached one edge of the city, he grew curious at what plan the other pilot had.  
His questioning thoughts vanished as they came upon a gorge on the outskirts of the city. He wondered if there was such a place near the real Corneria City, but he didn't have much time to think about it as the pilot dove right in. With a flick of a switch he turned on the light at the front of his craft and followed.  
The two ships sped through the chasm in total darkness, their way lit only by their lights up front and the engine glow from behind. The occasional blaster fire from Fox illuminated the cave walls oddly as well as they sped through, as if there were minerals or something buried just underneath the surface. Unable to hit his target at all in the winding cave, he decided to strike up a conversation instead, trying to learn what he could about the pilot. "Interesting caves we're flying through. Come here often?"  
The voice laughed. "Yes, yes I do." Entering a larger chamber inside the cavern, the Arwing suddenly cut its engine and spun around, both pilots bearing down upon each other. The reverse thrusters fired up just as quickly, continuing its flight away from Fox, and with deadly accuracy began firing at his craft.  
Completely caught off guard by the sudden attack, the vulpine had very few options available. Desperately he sent his craft in a twisting spiral towards the ceiling then flipped his craft over and did the same thing towards the cave floor. The blaster fire ended as quickly as it began, plunging the cave back into near darkness.  
Angered by his loss of concentration, Fox kicked in his boosters to continue the pursuit, dodging stalagmites and stalactites as he did so. Looking towards the ceiling, he suddenly had a plan. Hoping that his opponent would be foolish enough to try that rather effective stunt again, he decided to continue his little banter as he drew nearer. "Now where did you learn that little trick from, unknown one?"  
"That's for me to know, and you to find out, Fox McCloud. I'm quite impressed that you escaped it as well."  
"Let's just say that I'm a quick learner." Fox glanced down at his shield gauge, which now read only 30%. Taking a quick look on his radar, he saw a small chamber up ahead - another perfect place for an ambush.  
The other pilot saw the same thing and didn't disappoint Fox in its actions. With expert precision the craft spun around in midair once again, firing as soon as it had a clean shot. He responded by sacrificing what shields he had left to make sure that he brought down a number of stalactites that were over his target. Alarms blaring, his shields collapsed from the abuse he was taking, so he spun out of firing position desperately, trying to limit the hits his armor absorbed.  
What Fox missed seeing was how effective his strategy was. The other Arwing's shields held for only a few seconds from the falling rock before failing completely. Engine flaring, the pilot attempted to escape the debris when a stalactite landed on the right wing, ripping it off in a shower of sparks and a screech of metal. The G-Diffuser system compensated for the lack of a wing as the pilot flew out of the cave as fast as it could go.  
Fox whipped his battered craft around and followed, attempting to destroy his opponent in the process. The alarms finally quieted down as his shields regenerated, but a glance at his computer indicated that his opponent wouldn't have that luxury, as the shield system was damaged from the sudden stress. The vulpine smiled to himself at his abrupt change of luck as he said, "Nice try back there, but you'll quickly realize to never try the same trick twice against me."   
The other pilot laughed. "You think it's over? I haven't even begun to fight."  
"If you insist." Fox watched as he grew nearer to the speeding Arwing, his shots coming close to their mark. Without warning his craft lurched, his damaged boosters failing in a blaze of warning sirens. Cursing, Fox brought up a detailed analysis of his problem. According to the computer, the cooling systems for his boosters had failed, only allowing him short bursts before the whole thing overheated, bringing the boosters offline automatically.  
Now both craft were badly damaged, leveling out the playing field once again.  
Fox watched as his opponent got farther and farther ahead of him, helpless to do anything but fire off the occasional shot. By the time he got to the cave exit, his target was nowhere to be seen visually or on radar.  
With a beep his booster system reactivated, but it was useless to him at the moment as he casually flew around the city, hoping to catch what he guessed was the powered down Arwing on radar by chance. Guessing that communication still worked between the two craft, and hoping that his computer might be able to track down the source of the signal, Fox contacted his pursuer. "Running off and hiding are you? I guessed you were the daring type."  
It took a moment, but the other craft responded, sounding like the pilot was concentrating on something else. "Daring I am, Fox McCloud, but not stupid. Even without your boosters, I won't chance myself with no shielding."  
Fox's computer displayed some possibilities on where the other Arwing might be, but he needed to keep the other person talking. "So, you think you can just hide until you can get your shields back online again? Besides, the simulator isn't that detailed, is it?"  
The voice laughed. "As for hiding, this city is more than big enough for myself to bury myself in. For the repairs, the simulator is rather detailed - just mess around with some of the more advanced functions on your computer display. I won't be that long as you didn't do anywhere near as much damage as you think."  
Fox smiled as his computer locked onto the source of the communication. Turning off his radar, he sped towards his target. As he neared, he saw the nosecone of the other craft sticking out from underneath a commercial transport hangar, giving away its position. "I have you now," he said, bringing the full firepower of his Arwing to bear.  
The hull of his opponent sparked as he landed shot after shot on the unshielded craft. He slowed down and aimed towards the engine, continuing to fire as he did so. His accurate shots pounded on the hull, the armor plating yielding quickly from the firepower. With a blinding flash the Arwing's plasma engine exploded in a ball of flame, the hangar collapsing on the destroyed craft as it did so.  
Fox cheered to himself in the cockpit, wondering if he would see or hear another message from his opponent. "I do have to say, I've seen some impressive stunts in my years, but whoever you are, you definitely know how to fly. Nice work out there. No hard feelings?"  
Not seeing any kind of response, Fox was about to shut down the simulator when he heard a response. "It's all fun and games as General Pepper would put it, so no hard feelings. Congratulations. Although I do have to ask - how did you track me down so easily?"  
"You'll hate me for saying this, but I got you talking to track you through your communication signal."  
The voice laughed. "Why you stinking little punk. And here I thought you were trying to get to know me."  
Fox laughed back, hoping he could get on the good side of the other pilot, getting it to reveal who it really was. "Well I was to a point. Who are you anyway? Are you the extra pilot our team believes we have?"  
The other person was slow in responding. "We shall see, Fox McCloud. I've talked too long as it is. I gotta go."  
He heard Gary's voice come through his headset, shocking him for a moment. "Do you intend to bask in your greatness the rest of the afternoon, or do you plan to come out of there anytime soon?"  
Shaking his head, Fox shut down the simulator and popped the hatch to be greeted by cheering from the rest of his team. Smiling, he waved to the group as he said, "You don't need to cheer. I didn't do anything fancy."  
"Look at him," grumbled Falco, clearly upset over his performance in the simulators. "He kills two people, cripples a third, and says that it wasn't anything fancy."  
"Falco my friend, you know this was nothing more than a simple game," said Peppy, trying to restore the calm the room held before. "Besides, you now know what not to do next time against Fox."  
"Hey, Fox, who were you talking to at the end anyway?" asked Slippy.  
The vulpine looked confused. "You didn't hear the other side of my conversation?"  
"Not from where we were. Pepper was real quiet the entire time as well."  
Fox sighed, coming to the conclusion as to what was going to happen next. "Lovely. Something tells me he won't be saying who that was either."  
Pepper stood up and walked over to the team at that point, somehow knowing he was being talked about. "Rather fancy flying there, Junior. Nice work." He paused for a moment, listening to the headset still covering one ear. "Gary and I would like to congratulate you four for passing flight training. While both of us would like you to spend more time in the simulators, you are free to fly the real thing. As it is, your training will continue in the Arwing itself starting tomorrow. May you do as well in the real thing as you've done so far."  
The team cheered at the announcement. "Thanks, General," said Fox. "I hope we make you proud out there." He paused, his face growing more serious as he tried to get some answers. "However, I want to know who that pilot was I just faced, and why he isn't here with us."  
Pepper's face remained neutral, not giving the pilots any idea what he knew. "Yes, those are good questions aren't they. Your answers will be revealed soon."  
Fox grew furious at being brushed off again, hitting the side of the simulator to show his anger. "General, let me put it this way. It's awfully hard to do simple things like planning strategies, battle tactics, and practicing, without knowing simple answers like how many people are on your team. Do you see what I'm getting at here?"  
"I see your point exactly, Junior. However, I've learned that it is far easier to train a group of people when they are all at the same skill level. Now that you have advanced as quickly as you have, you'll find that your questions will be answered. Tomorrow. You are dismissed for the evening. Go get yourselves a hot meal and be ready to get back out there again bright and early at 08:00." He turned and walked out of the simulator room, not giving anyone a chance to stop him.  
The team watched the door close behind Pepper, leaving the four in the near silent room. Peppy was the first to speak. "All things aside, Fox, I agree with what the General is saying."  
"As do I," said Slippy, deep in thought. "How does the saying go…always group those of the same skill level together for greater effectiveness."  
Fox threw his arms into the air, silently muttering a few curse words under his breath. "You know, you two make it so hard to start an argument when I know you'll disagree with me." He looked over at Falco, noticing the silence. "What, no comments from you?"  
The avian grinned, shaking his feathered head. "I'm still ticked at you for taking me down like that."  
"Sorry, Falco, but I have no intention of fighting against you one on one. You're quite good you know." He looked over the rest of his team as he continued. "Let's go get something to eat. I personally intend to come back here afterwards, so for me, time is wasting."


	8. The Unknown Revealed

And the story moves forward once more. I know that somebody out there is reading this, so as always, reviews are gladly accepted.  
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**Chapter 8: The Unknown Revealed**  
_Who the heck was that pilot, and where did he learn how to fly like that? Thank goodness he's on our side. I just wish Pepper wasn't such a jerk about hiding him like that... At least we'll find out who he is today._ - Fox 

With a yawn comparative to the one he started the day before, Fox found himself wide awake for another day of training. The Starfox team had spent a good portion of the evening on their own in the simulators, and it had left Fox nearly exhausted before he'd finally fallen asleep.  
With the additional team training however, he had learned one weakness of the Arwing - while being able to make near instant turns with the G-Diffuser system was a powerful ally, when you had multiple hostiles on your tail the sudden slowdown of the craft could prove fatal. Both Peppy and Slippy had learned that the hard way as the team flew through a gauntlet mode on the simulators.  
After going through the necessities of a shower and such, Fox walked off to get breakfast. He found his entire team already there by the time he arrived at the mess hall. Grabbing another healthy breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and some bacon, he joined his team. Greetings were passed around as the vulpine sat down, and upon noticing Peppy holding the morning paper again, he asked, "So, Peppy, did I make the paper again this morning?"  
Peppy and Fox laughed at the confused looks of their teammates. "Sorry, Fox, you're no longer famous." The hare glanced at the other two as he continued. "We made the news on two planets over our little fight on the transport. Nothing much."  
"Why didn't you tell us?" complained Falco. "It would have been nice had you said something."  
Fox shrugged. He didn't have decent response, especially not this early in the morning. He looked to his team as he said around mouthfuls, "So, what brings everyone here together this morning? Other than the necessities of eating anyway."  
"We've been thinking," said Falco, still upset at being brushed off like that. He also knew that it wasn't worth pressing the issue, as he knew that he wouldn't get an answer.  
"That's a first for you," joked Slippy.  
Falco glared at the toad for a moment, debating on smacking him upon his scaly head, but he calmed down as he continued. "As I was saying before scaly interrupted me here, we've been making guesses on who else is on our team."  
"Based on what we've seen yesterday," started Peppy, "it's safe to assume that we have only one extra team member. Otherwise we would have faced them all as a group instead of an individual fight at the end."  
"Makes sense," said Fox nodding, munching on his food.  
"We're just at a loss on who it is," said Slippy.  
"I still think that Pepper should have told us everything in the beginning," muttered Falco. "I'm tired of all this sneaking around the truth and making second guesses at everything he says."  
"Agreed," said the rest of the team.  
"And what's with him just barging into your room like that? He's like no stuck-up leader I've ever seen before."  
"The General is a strange one based on what I've seen of him," said the hare, closing his eyes as he dug through his memories. "He was always so personable, trying to get to know everyone under his command."  
"I still say it's a strange thing to do."  
"He does have quite a bit to think upon however, Falco. While he may seem a bit unusual to us all, it's the goal at the end that's important."  
"On the brighter side of things though, guys," said Fox, interrupting as he remembered the day's goals, "he did say he would reveal all today. Unless Andross has his fleet bearing down upon us right now, it should give us plenty of time to prepare with our new member."  
"True," said Peppy. He looked past Fox for a moment. "By the way, the topic of our conversation is here." The team watched as Pepper moved through the crowd, waving or talking to everyone that he passed. "He's a rather effective morale booster, isn't he?"  
"I'm guessing he's just hungry," joked Fox. "Although I do see your point."  
Pepper picked up only a cup of coffee before he turned around and surveyed the mess hall. Spotting Fox and his team, he walked over. "Good morning everyone," he said pleasantly, sipping his drink.  
The team said their greetings as the vulpine added, "So, General, taking us off to work already? It's not even eight."  
Pepper laughed, taking another sip before responding. "I find it hard to believe that you aren't anxious in the slightest to take the Arwings for a spin."  
"You know, I do believe he has a good point for once," said Falco grinning.  
Fox finished up what was left on his plate then said, "Well then, if nobody has any objections, shall we take Pepper up on his offer?"  
The team quickly decided to start their training early for the day and followed the General off to the Arwing hanger.

"Welcome back to deck 0," said Pepper as the elevator doors opened.   
The Starfox team looked with awe once again as they glanced at their fighter craft. Fox smiled as he looked back at the General. "Well, Pepper, these Arwings are just as impressive to look at the second time as they are the first."  
"Glad to hear that, Junior," replied the canine. "Now, if you would approach the Arwings, you'll find your names engraved on the side. Climb on in and you'll find a headset among other things. Put that on and we'll continue to talk."  
Fox hung back and pulled his helmet off his head as he spoke. "What about what I'm wearing right now? Who's is this anyway?"  
He grimaced as he realized that he never said anything earlier. "That, Junior is your Father's helmet. I'm sorry; I thought I told you earlier. I'll show you the details on how it fully works later, but if you would let me borrow it for a moment." Fox passed the helmet over to Pepper who fiddled with it for a few seconds before he handed it back. "There. You're hooked into the same variable com frequency that the Arwings use."  
Fox donned his helmet as he boarded his craft, tired of his boss being so forgetful. It would have made the last few days so much easier. On his seat was a duffle bag that he moved out of the way while he sat down and strapped in.  
Gary's voice sounded over his headset while he settled in. "Morning everyone, it's me again. While you get comfy, I'm going to let you in on what's in that bag. Inside are your basic emergency supplies. First aid kit, portable shelter, the all tasty military food and water rations, wilderness survival kit, and a small item that you'll get to wear around the base – your personal blaster and holster. Leave it all in the bag for now, as something tells me you all want to get out there and fly."  
"Now, before you take off, I have three pieces of advice for you. First, please stay away from any cities. The general populace doesn't really know about the Arwing project, so let's not go out and scare them, okay? You have about 50 miles, give or take, to your north and east to fly around in, and only 10 in the other directions, all within military controlled space. If you really want to test the full speed of the Arwing, head into outer space."  
"Noted and understood, Gary," said Fox. "I'll keep them under control."  
"Good. For your second suggestion, I highly recommend getting some height before trying out the G-Diffuser system for real. The simulator is now rather close to how it really works, but unlike the simulators, we cannot replace the craft you are flying if something happens. Also remember what you experienced yesterday while you were flying in the gauntlet challenge on them."  
"I'll definitely keep that in mind," said Slippy, remembering his first experience with the G-Diffuser system.   
"Good. Final tip – do not under any circumstances fire off the Nova Bombs. You've had no experience whatsoever firing them, and I do not want the repair bill associated with you blowing up half a city block or a chunk of the forest. I'll give you a quick rundown of them in the simulators later today. There are still a few kinks that need to be worked out in them anyways, so I will not be held responsible if you do fire it."  
"If you insist," said Falco.  
"Yes, I do insist. And that means all of you." Gary was quite serious in his statement, as if trying to test his authority.  
"Roger," said Fox. "Any goals for us out there, or is this just practice in the real thing?"  
"Practice for now. Get the feel of flying in an Arwing. Give it a full test run. Keep in mind that none of these craft have been flown much. Short of Pepper, a few scattered engineers, and myself, these ships haven't had a pilot in them at all. Call this a shakedown cruise if you want."  
Pepper came on the line, sensing that his subordinate was finished. "Okay, Starfox team, make me proud. You are free to launch at anytime. Give the Arwing a good workout without wrecking anything, understood?"  
Fox glanced around to make sure that there was nobody in the launch bay. Finding no one nearby, he told his team, "Fox here. I don't see anyone around us, so I guess we are clear to launch. I'll head out first."  
Eagerly the vulpine started his Arwing, the plasma engine underneath him purring with power. With a burst of flame his engine kicked in, propelling him down the launch tunnel. "Yeahaw!" he yelled as he left the confines of the base within seconds, revealing a clear early morning sky.  
Fox began a slow, lazy turn around the base, enjoying the feel of the raw power under his control. With excited yells the rest of his team launched out of the base, coming into formation as they saw him.  
Within a minute the Starfox team was assembled and ready for action. "We're all here, Fox," said Peppy. "What are your orders?"  
He looked around, deciding on a destination. "Let's head northeast 25 miles or so. That'll give us plenty of open space to fly around in. Go to formation Alpha team, and let's head out at half speed. Might as well enjoy the view while we can."  
The team had worked on a few formations last night, coming upon this one as their traveling pattern. Formation Alpha was simple – Fox took the lead, Falco was behind and above him, while Peppy and Slippy were behind, below, and to either side of him. It allowed ample firing coverage for any targets coming towards them, and gave plenty of maneuvering room if they all needed to change directions quickly.   
The four flew over heavily forested terrain as they sped to their destination. "I've forgotten how gorgeous this planet was," commented Peppy as he looked around. "A far cry from the sand and rock I've grown used to seeing in the last year."  
"Good old home sweet home," mused Fox, thinking back to his younger years. "How I've missed it."  
"Agreed," muttered Falco. "If I ever set foot upon another damned desert planet it will be…" He stopped in mid-sentence, noticing something on his radar, his tone switching to one of concern. "Fox, I've picked up an unidentified bogey on radar, approaching fast."  
"This is military airspace," said Peppy, suddenly worried. "Who could that be?"  
Fox took command of the situation quickly. "Stay in formation unless you get shot at." Changing frequencies to a global setting, he said, "Unknown aircraft, you are inside military space. Please identify yourself."  
Slippy fiddled with his radar system as the bogey drew closer. "Fox, I think I can…I got it! Guys, it's another Arwing! Contact in 10 seconds."  
Fox cursed silently before smiling to himself, once again not pleased with Pepper's way of doing things, but happy to finally get this entire mystery over with. "Unidentified Arwing, please identify yourself."  
With expert precision the newcomer flew right above Fox's craft, pausing there only a moment before flipping upside down, revealing its passenger. Inside was a familiar looking female fox, clad in a purple vest, gloves, helmet, and the usual white jacket that the rest of the team wore. Fox recognized the pilot almost instantly as he exclaimed, "Fara Phoenix!"  
She waved as she kindly said, "Hello again. Mind if I drop in?"  
Fox laughed, stunned to see Fara again. "It looks like you already have. But what's a nice girl like you—"  
She interrupted him with a smile, having already heard this line from other people impressed at her skills, if not for other reasons. "Save it, Fox. I've been flying since I was a kit. Why do you think I'm chief test pilot of the Arwing project?"  
"A shot and a miss," joked Falco.  
Fara flipped her Arwing right side up, moving off to one side of the team, ignoring the snide comment from the avian. "So, did you guys have any exciting plans this morning?" Fox was just about to answer when she interrupted. "No plans? Good. Catch me if you can!" Her engine flared as she boosted ahead of the rest of the team.  
With a laugh Fox chased after her, the remainder of the group following after a moment.

The entire command staff watched the flight from the control room of the base, staring at the visuals that appeared on their monitors, all in a very jovial mood. Gary and Pepper stood off at one side so they could talk privately. "And there she goes again, acting like a kit," said Pepper, shaking his head.  
"Fara is young General," replied the cheetah. "As is most the team. We all were at one point. Besides, it's good for them. Let them forget about the threat of war for one more day."  
Pepper sighed as he watched the Arwings skim the treetops, missing the larger trees by mere feet. While he agreed with what was said, he didn't like seeing anybody under his command act with such lack of discipline. "I guess you're right."  
"That's why I'm the teacher and you're the boss." Gary picked up the headset on the terminal in front of him. "Fara, why don't you leave the forest in peace and take them into space. Give them a feel for the FTL drives and how the Arwings respond in zero gravity. I'll keep the local traffic out of your way."  
Fara laughed, enjoying herself tremendously now that she was in the skies once more. "If you insist. Dodging trees is much more fun though."  
Gary didn't even want to comment upon this, remembering some of the stunts she'd pulled off before. "Enjoy your flight. Gary out." He put down the headset and glanced around to make sure nobody was listening to the pair before continuing. "So, General, when are you going to tell everyone about the incoming attack?"  
Pepper sighed, displeased at having to do anything to bring down the joyful mood of the base. "Tonight around dinner. That will give everyone plenty of time to prepare."  
"Good. I just hope our pilots can win this."  
The canine looked at the antics of the team before replying quietly, "I hope so too."

In the meantime, Fara was continuing to take the rest of the Starfox team on a wild ride through the forests around the base. Leveling her craft with the tree line, she pulled a half somersault, flying past the Arwings chasing after her, waving at them as she passed. Righting her craft, she pulled her Arwing into a near vertical climb, her boosters glowing brightly behind her. "Enough fun and games for now," she said. "Time to take these Arwings into space."  
"Tired of scaring away the wildlife already?" Fox asked jokingly.  
"No, Fox, I think she's afraid that she's going crash into a tree," commented Falco.  
"Me, crash?" Fara exclaimed. "I'm more worried about your safety than mine."  
Slippy laughed. "She's got you there."  
"Quiet pea brain," muttered Falco. "You couldn't fly yourself out of a paper bag."  
Peppy rolled his eyes and laughed at the friendly banter. "Kids," was all he said.  
The team quieted down afterwards, watching as the atmosphere quickly thinned out, changing the blue morning sky into the blackness of outer space. "Space, the final frontier," said Fara wistfully, taking over the training for now. "Nothing between you and the emptiness of space but the craft you are sitting in. Anyway, keep in mind that your Arwing will perform a tad differently up here."  
Slippy piped in with his assumptions. "Longer to decelerate due to lack of friction for starters, which would affect the performance of the G-Diffuser system, right?"  
"Exactly. That and any hits which penetrate the armor around the cockpit area could kill you instantly as the cockpit depressurizes."  
"I feel rather safe all of a sudden," grumbled Falco, wondering just how thick the armored hull around him was.  
"Space combat always increases the dangers for both sides," remarked Fara. "It also tends to make it easier as well as your average atmosphere refracts blaster fire somewhat."  
Fox pulled a somersault then practiced a few evasive maneuvers, testing out the Arwing's combat performance in space. "It isn't much of a difference, but it's noticeable."  
"Yes, Fox, the Arwing was designed as an atmospheric superiority fighter for the most part. It's still far more maneuverable than any other craft in existence in space, but it loses its edge slightly."  
"Interesting. Guys, now is the time to practice." Fox pointed his Arwing towards Fara who quickly got the hint and became a moving target. "So, Fara, how long have you been testing these Arwings anyway?"  
She pulled a loop and swerved to avoid Fox as she talked. "Too long as far as I'm concerned. There were, and still are, quite a few bugs to work out. The design staff can think of a great ship, but it had shall we say, quite a few flaws in the beginning. The lack of good pilots hasn't helped much either."  
Falco suddenly dove between the two craft, scattering them both. "Nice history lesson, but when do we get to blow stuff up?"  
"Is that the only thing that is ever on your mind?" questioned Fara with a smile.  
"Having had to live with him the last year, yes it is," Fox remarked.  
"The way I see it is that I'm sitting in a machine that is designed to destroy things, not simply fly around."  
Fara laughed as she brought her Arwing to a halt, taking a look at nearby Corneria. "Falco, you have a point there. Unfortunately there isn't anything nearby that you could shoot that wouldn't get you yelled at by the local miners guild."  
"Damn," complained the avian.  
"Sorry. Let's move on to something else though so we can get back home as I can tell Falco needs some time shooting things in the simulator." The rest of the team laughed at Fara's comment. "So, onto the FTL drives. The first thing to keep in mind is that the communication systems of the Arwing don't work at light speed."  
The team brought their Arwings to a halt near her craft. "So how do we stay together when traveling that fast?" asked Slippy.  
"I was getting to that," she replied. "When one Arwing puts in navigation information into the computer, it automatically gets transmitted to all the other craft. You have 30 seconds to accept or deny the request, otherwise your Arwing will follow the craft that transmitted the order. This allows the craft to stay in formation at any speed."  
"Fascinating," Peppy said quietly. "The lengthened authorization time is then used to prevent someone from hacking the frequency and data used to control the craft."  
"Exactly. You can still cancel the order at any time after the 30 seconds as well. The automatic feature is used mainly if the pilot is injured beyond the point of controlling their Arwing."  
"Rather useful," said Fox. "So how do we get to lightspeed?"  
"Wow, you guys are impatient," replied Fara with a few giggles.  
"Something we've acquired after Gary's long winded speeches."  
She shook her head as she smiled, agreeing with the vulpine completely. "Okay then, watch and learn. I'll send out a signal to send the Arwings to lightspeed for 60 seconds. You'll get to enjoy the look of the planet from farther away. Just accept the message that will popup on your monitors in a second."  
Fox sat back in his Arwing, noticing his screen change to what looked like a star map of the region with an overlay showing craft formation and estimated traveling time. Accepting the information displayed, he felt his craft drift forward, moving into position next to Fara's Arwing. He watched as the rest of his team moved into formation. "Interesting," said Fox. "Does this work when the person issuing the command is moving?"  
"Yes it does, Fox," replied Fara, glad to see everything working properly so far. She had grown worried that some of the more advanced functions wouldn't work, as they hadn't been fully tested yet. "The lead craft will slow down automatically to let the ones behind catch up, but it'll work." Her computer beeped, telling her that everyone was in position. "Hold on, here we go!"  
As a group the five Arwings boosted forward, reaching maximum safe velocity in about thirty seconds. Holding that speed, Fox heard his engine pitch change and then suddenly he was at lightspeed. He looked around, watching in awe as the nearby stars moved slightly from the speed they were traveling at.  
The minute passed quickly as Fox enjoyed his flight. As the timer finished counting down, the monitor beeped letting him know that he was going to exit lightspeed and come to a complete halt. Then, as suddenly as he entered lightspeed, he stopped, the retro rockets firing to bring his Arwing to a full stop.  
As the group slowed down, Fara's voice came over the communicator. "So guys, how did you like it?"  
Falco was the first one to reply. "I have to say this much - these ships sure know how to go fast."  
Something was nagging at Fox all of a sudden, but he didn't know what. "Loved the flight, Fara," he said, looking around. "Did we break the speed of light or just approach it?"  
"Current technologies can't break the light barrier, just approach—"  
Fox interrupted her, realizing what was bugging him. Double-checking his radar screen as his computer suddenly began beeping at him, he asked, "Where's Peppy?"  
"Oh no!" exclaimed Fara as she realized that the hare was no longer with them. She suddenly boosted off away from the rest of the group as she yelled to them, "Head back to base and do not use your FTL drive! It looks like a malfunction in his Arwing as he didn't stop, and I don't know if you'll have the same problem!" She cursed about the lack of proper testing of the Arwings as she hit lightspeed and vanished.  
The remainder of the team became very nervous. "What are we going to do?" asked Slippy quietly, hoping that nothing else would go wrong today.  
"These Arwings are going to be the death of us yet," muttered Falco.  
"Quiet, Falco," snapped Fox. "You're not helping." He grew silent as he thought for a moment. "We can't catch up to them without going to lightspeed, so we're going to do as she says." He contacted the base as Falco continued to complain. "Corneria Base, this is Fox. We have a problem."


	9. The Luck of the Fox

Who would've guessed it was Fara sitting in the wings like that? Well, everybody (if you've read the old comics anyway), but that's not the point. On to the next chapter.  
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**Chapter 9: The Luck of the Fox**  
_Why can't anything ever go right? I've had more problems testing the Arwings than I can shake a stick at, and now this. One of these days everything will go perfectly, and on that day I'll die in combat or something equally stupid._ - Fara 

Peppy knew he had a problem with his Arwing the moment he accelerated to lightspeed as an alarm sounded and his monitor changed, indicating a failure within the FTL drive. The computer told him that a critical component in shutting off the drive had failed, warning him that there was no way for him to stop his craft short of him running out of fuel in 30 minutes.  
Needless to say, he was not pleased in the slightest. He knew that the others would come looking for him as soon as they noticed that he hadn't stopped, but there was the definite possibility, albeit minor, that he wouldn't have 30 minutes of flying distance before he hit something. Thinking back to the detailed data schematics he had read two days ago, he worked on formulating a plan.

Some distance behind him, Fara was attempting to catch up to the speeding Arwing. Cursing to nobody in particular, she wished she had the time to give all five craft a good thorough flight test before passing them to the rest of the team. She knew a possible solution to get Peppy's craft to stop, but the communication equipment onboard was unable to get a signal from ship to ship at this speed. Hoping that Fox wasn't dumb enough to follow her, she continued the chase, worried that Peppy might not be able to stop the Arwing before it ran out of fuel for the FTL drive, or worse, ran into something.

The hare smiled as an idea popped into his head. He knew that more advanced systems in the Arwing were controlled by the computer sitting in front of him, so all he had to do was shut down the system, or power down the entire Arwing.  
He was just afraid of what kind of damage he would cause as a result.  
Having a gut feeling that it wouldn't work, Peppy tried turning off the ship by just shutting it down normally. For a moment it looked like it would work, as he watched as the internal lights turn off, his oxygen systems stopped their life giving air, but as he expected, the shutdown sequence failed when it got to his engines. His craft quickly powered back up afterward with the computer once again showing his problem.  
"There goes the easy solution," he muttered to himself. Wondering just how user serviceable the Arwings were in flight, he dug through the survival tools behind him looking for a screwdriver.

Knowing that in theory her computer would tell her if Peppy's Arwing dropped out of lightspeed, assuming it was still in range, Fara changed her attention to what was in their path. Scanning through the star charts on her computer, she knew that Corneria had a small mining base on a large rogue asteroid somewhere near the planet. It was just a matter of figuring out where it was and hoping that they weren't heading towards it.  
After spending a few seconds looking through the data, she cursed, realizing that their bad luck streak was going to continue – the two Arwings were on a direct course towards the mining operation. Dropping out of lightspeed, she quickly attempted to communicate with them. "Mining Station Beta, this is Fara Phoenix of the Cornerian Military, please respond."  
She was about to repeat her message when they replied. "This is Mining Station Beta, reading you load and clear. What can we help you with?"  
Fara sighed, grateful that there was somebody around to listen to her message. "You are not going to want to hear this – we have a out of control spacecraft headed directly in your direction."  
The voice on the other end grew anxious with worry. "Is there anything we can do to help?"  
"Not when it is going at near lightspeed you can't. I highly recommend taking a break away from your work, at least until we get this under control."  
"Noted and understood. Good luck on the recovery of your ship."  
"Thanks. Over and out." Fara kicked in the FTL drive once again and continued to follow Peppy's craft.

In the meantime, Peppy had unbuckled himself from his seated position and was currently lying underneath the computer monitor, screwdriver in one paw and a flashlight in the other. With a final twist a large panel came off in his paws, revealing the internals of the main computer. Being very careful at what he touched, he moved wiring out of the way searching for any kind of power source.  
"Let's see," he mumbled to himself. "This looks like it." He was about to disconnect the power supply when he heard the computer give another warning alarm. Not knowing what it was for from his position, and frankly not really caring at this point, he braced himself and unplugged the power. With a jarring lurch his maneuvering jets fired a quick burst, throwing him hard against the side of his craft, and then his entire ship powered down.  
Struggling to stay conscious, Peppy looked wearily past his feet out the cockpit window, hoping that the stars had stopped moving. Unfortunately, what he saw was even worse – his ship hadn't slowed down one bit, but on top of that he was now spinning completely out of control. Thankfully the FTL drives had powered down, allowing him to slow his craft. Hoping he made the right move, he plugged the power back in.  
Nothing happened. Other than the sound of his own breathing he heard no signs of the ship coming back online.  
Groaning, he pulled himself from underneath the monitor and floated over to the pilot seat, trying to ignore the spinning stars seen through his cockpit window. Strapping himself in, he happened to glance outside. Something was out there, and whatever it was, he was getting closer to it. He looked again, ignoring the churning in his stomach as he continued to spin and tried to figure out what it was. His mouth dropped open in shock as he identified what was out there.  
It was an asteroid.  
Desperately Peppy reached over and tried to restart his Arwing. His first attempt caused what sounded like an electrical overload somewhere behind him, the arid smell of melted components overpowering in what was left of his air supply. Having no other choice he tried again.  
This time his Arwing powered up. With a burst of static his communication system came back online as he fought to regain control of his ship. "I repeat, incoming craft, your current trajectory places you on a collision course with our mining station unless you veer off. Please respond."  
Power back online, Peppy desperately tried to right his Arwing. He could feel his craft beginning to stabilize with his attempts, but it was slow going as he could tell the maneuvering thrusters weren't working properly. "Mining station, this is Peppy Hare in the incoming craft. I hope someone warned you ahead of time as I don't know if I can get this thing under control."  
"We've been notified fortunately, however I don't wish to lose the station, and something tells me you don't want to lose that craft, considering that I've never seen that design before."  
As dangerous of a situation he was in, Peppy had to laugh. "No kidding," he said, starting to regain control. He just needed a few more seconds, seconds he really didn't have.  
With a flash of light Fara's Arwing dropped out of lightspeed, her voice coming over his headset immediately. "Peppy, this is Fara. Are you okay?"  
"If you would define okay for me, I'll be glad to give you my opinion." With his Arwing no longer spinning like a top, he attempted to slow down his craft. His retro rockets flared brightly, but he could tell that he wasn't going to stop in time. He simply had too much speed built up.  
Fara sounded resigned as she came back on, coming to the same conclusion. "Peppy, eject if you have to. The Arwing is replaceable, but your life isn't."  
"I'm not giving up that easily, my dear." Turning his damaged craft so he was parallel with the asteroid, Peppy fired his boosters, attempting to fly around the rock instead of stopping.  
Fara watched his progress, knowing that he had only a matter of seconds before impact. "Peppy, you're cutting it very close."  
"I realize that, Fara." A proximity alarm blared inside his craft, warning him that he was going to hit. Peppy continued to hold down the throttle, knowing that if he didn't clear the asteroid he would be nothing but a pile of debris drifting through space.  
She watched from the relative safety of her Arwing, her eyes glued to the other craft as it quickly closed the distance to the asteroid. "You're going to get yourself killed," she muttered to herself.  
The hare was unable to visually judge just how close he was to clearing the asteroid, but his computer still insisted that he was going to hit. He refused to simply give up though, the survival of the Arwing just too important to him. Closing his eyes as he neared impact, he hoped made the right decision, his boosters glowing brightly the entire time.  
Much to Fara's relief, he missed it completely by mere feet. "You silly old hare," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Don't you have any common sense in your head?"  
Peppy turned his Arwing around and began slowing down, trying to calm his pounding heart. "Sorry, Fara, but something told me that you would dearly miss this craft if I destroyed it before its first battle."  
"You do have a point there," she replied with a laugh, hiding her true feelings. They had almost lost an Arwing already, and they hadn't even seen combat yet. "Let's head back home and let the techs figure out what the heck happened."  
"Good idea. I've had more than enough problems for one day."

A few hours later found the Starfox team, now numbering five, walking towards the mess hall for dinner. The techs had gone over Peppy's Arwing and found nothing more than a malfunctioning part in his FTL drive that caused the complete failure of the system. The other craft had been checked out as well, but no problems were seen.  
The team had just returned from Nova Bomb training in the simulators, and they were currently discussing what they experienced, with Fox recounting the powers of the weapon. "Okay, let me make sure I got this right as Gary clearly had other things on his mind this afternoon. The Nova Bomb is a powerful limited use weapon with a 1000ft blast radius, and about half that as a near guaranteed kill zone."  
Fara nodded, impressed that he had remembered the details. "Yup. The crystals used to focus the energy tend to last through three or four uses before shattering. They're somewhat rare on this planet, but we have more than enough stockpiled so don't worry about using them."  
The team made the final turn to the mess hall as Falco commented, "A weapon that powerful always has disadvantages."  
"Unfortunately, Falco, yes there are some, but they are considered bugs as far as I'm concerned."  
"Great," he muttered. "What's wrong with them?"  
Fara looked over at the avian as she continued. "Firing the Bombs currently cause a total power failure in the Arwing, and we're having problems configuring the shields to resist the blast. Also, the bombs basically need to impact something in order for them to explode - a craft, your blasters, anything like that. We're trying to get them to detonate based on range, but no luck so far."  
"Lovely. So we're flying a deathtrap."  
"It's not a deathtrap," said the vixen, offended at the term after she'd spent so much time testing the craft. "It just has some issues."  
"Okay then, it's a buggy deathtrap."  
"They'll get it fixed," said Fox, shaking his head in dismay. Changing the subject as he thought back to their training, he said, "Anyone have any idea why Gary was so to the point today? He's always been so wordy and he wasn't this afternoon."  
Peppy laughed as he moved out of the way of somebody traveling in the opposite direction. "Wordy is an understatement, Fox."  
"Your guess is as good as mine," said Fara with a shrug. "I've known him far longer and that's definitely not his way."  
The team walked into the mess hall and much to their surprise was greeted by Gary at the entrance. He motioned them to wait there as he walked up. "Hey, crew, I need you to wait just a moment. The General has something to say, and he needs you to be easily visible while he goes through it."  
"Criminey," muttered Falco. "And all I wanted to do was have a peaceful meal tonight."  
Fox motioned to someone pointing a camera their way from across the hall. "Showing us off already, Gary? We haven't done anything interesting yet."  
"More or less," replied the cheetah with a grin. "Talk to you later."  
Fox watched as Gary ducked out and walked over to the bar area, saying something to Pepper, who was sitting there having a drink. He got up in response and put on a headset, giving a quick nod in greetings to the team.  
Pepper's voice could be clearly heard in the mess hall, and from the echoes behind Fox, he assumed that he was speaking to the entire base. "Attention Corneria Base, this is General Pepper speaking. I need your full attention for just a minute for an important announcement."  
He pointed towards the team as he continued. "On your screens, or if you are here eating, over there, are a few people I'd like to introduce you to if you haven't met them already. They are the Starfox team, and are what I hope will be the ones who end the war against Andross once and for all."  
Fox groaned from the sudden attention as he went on. He didn't like this, not one bit. "Their names in no real order are: Peppy Hare, Fara Phoenix, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and their leader, Fox McCloud. If you weren't watching the flight earlier, they are the pilots of our highly advanced Arwing fighters. Treat them as you would anyone else on the base."  
The person with the camera spun around to Pepper, leaving the team alone. Gary waved them over, indicating that they were no longer needed. "Sorry about that," he said, "but the base needed to know who you all were. The boss isn't done yet though, so keep listening."  
"Unfortunately, I must be the bearer of bad news as well. We have detected on long-range sensors a Venomian Battleship on route to Corneria." The team looked at each other in shock as Pepper spoke. "Based on their current speed, we are expecting an assault early tomorrow morning before daylight our time."  
Rumbles were heard from the mess hall as people began discussing what was just said. The canine raised his paws to get everyone's attention once more. "Quiet down everyone. From past history, Andross makes a direct assault towards any type of military installation before claiming the planet. Needless to say, that makes us his first and only target."  
"Unlike every other time he has attacked a planet however, we have a defense ready for him - the Starfox team. I know that they will do their best to fight off and defeat Andross' forces. I need everyone to do anything in their power tomorrow morning to help them out as we are the only thing keeping the entire Lylat system from Andross' clutches."  
"I've already contacted the necessary governments here on Corneria, and they'll let the planet know when they need to. Those of you who fly our patrol ships, be warned about potential rioting issues in our area. At least until they learn that we've won anyway." The canine grinned before continuing. "I'll announce when the hostile ship comes into planetary range in the morning. Expect an hour's notice at best. See you all tomorrow. Pepper over and out."  
Taking off the headset, Pepper announced to the entire mess hall, "Anyone here have any questions?"  
Fox quickly stood up. "Pepper, for us with no real military knowledge of Andross' fighter capability, what are we facing?"  
"Good question. If the battleship approaching us is the same type as the rest we've seen in previous assaults, you can expect a heavily armed cruiser with a fighter compliment of around 80. The average fighter is armed with a single low-powered laser and tends to be unshielded. Next question."  
A young looking feline male stood up. "Do we have any contingency or evacuation plans set up if we fail here?"  
Pepper shook his head. "None at all. Either we succeed here or die trying. We have no other stations to fall back to, nor do we have any other planets which to regroup on. If we fail here, we have lost."  
Peppy followed afterward with his question after the silence caused by the grim response. "What's the defensive capability of this base short of the five Arwings in its hanger?"  
"Two large laser cannons, eight point defense lasers, and a dozen security ships armed with a single laser and minimal shielding."  
"In other words guys, nothing but us," whispered Fara to the team. She stood up and asked the General, "Do you have an ETA on fixing the Arwing's known quirks?"  
Pepper just shook his head. "Sorry, Fara, no." He looked around, waiting for another question. When he noticed that none was forthcoming, he decided to end the meeting. "Well, it looks like I'm done here. Sorry to ruin everyone's dinner like that, but I figured now would be the best time to let you all in on the details. Sleep well tonight, for tomorrow we go to war."  
Fox turned to his team as the canine walked off and said, "Eat well everyone as I doubt we'll get a chance in the morning. We're also going back to the simulators afterwards as it's still early."  
"Of course I already had plans to spend some time helping out in the gardens tonight," said Fara with a sigh. She liked going there as it helped her relax, especially after problematic days like the one she had just been through.  
"All work and no rest make for a tired pilot," commented Peppy, thinking more of the upcoming battle than the conversation around him. While he trusted the skill of the pilots sitting there, he wondered if any of them realized the true danger ahead of them, or if they were just hiding their true worries.  
Fox smiled. "Two days training and 16 to 1 odds make for a dead pilot. We need all the help we can get."  
Fara giggled. "Peppy's got the better proverb."  
He looked at her jovial face, wishing he could feel the same way with such a decisive battle bearing down upon him. "Sorry, Fara, but proverbs are not my specialty. I leave those for my older teammates to think up."  
Peppy had an evil look on his face as he defended himself, having noticed the comments directed his way, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Older eh? You know, Fox, I could start calling you Junior as well."  
Fox countered with the same look, trying to stifle a laugh. "You wouldn't dare, old hare."  
"It is tempting some days as you youngins never seem to respect your elders."  
"You aren't old, Peppy," said Fara kindly. "You're just more wise than the rest of us."  
The hare nodded. "See, Fox, now here's someone who has the right idea. You all should pay more attention to that."  
The whole table broke out into laughter. "Enough talking for now," said Fox, restoring order. He was as prepared as he could be for the upcoming battle, but he wanted to make sure the rest of his team was as well. "We have a long night and an even longer day ahead of us. Let's go eat."


	10. The Day of Battle

Many thanks for all the kind reviews so far. I hope that this fic has continued to keep everyone's interest as the page count steadily climbs. As always, additional reviews are always accepted.  
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** Chapter 10: The Day of Battle**  
_I'm quite impressed – Fox knows how to handle the Arwing like he's been in it all his life. I just hope he doesn't blanch when he sees real combat. Or myself for that matter. Who am I kidding; Andross doesn't stand a chance against us._ – Fara 

The Starfox team worked long into the evening hours in the simulators, attempting to perfect their skills in the Arwings. While they didn't seem to improve too much overall, the time spent was useful, allowing everyone time to get used to each other's strengths and weaknesses.  
They finished the night with another run through the Gauntlet mode on the simulator, the team going two levels farther than they did last time before coming to an end against overwhelming odds. Both Pepper and Gary watched the team practice, pleased to see them work so well together.  
Everyone slept well that night, all except one person - Fox McCloud. He found himself unable to get any sleep, constantly tossing and turning all night, his dreams haunted with horrible images of Andross simply staring and laughing at him.  
Lying there on his back, unable to stay asleep for more than a few minutes at most, Fox rolled over and looked at the clock. The simple electronics told him what he guessed - it was only 4am. Groaning, he abandoned any other attempts to sleep and rolled out of bed.  
Stumbling over to the washroom, he splashed ice-cold water over his face in an attempt to shock himself awake. It worked, but only for a few seconds before his exhausted body tried to drop back to sleep, this time with him standing up.  
His mind slowly drifted to the only solution that he could think of - a giant cup of coffee. Making himself as presentable as he could within a few moments, he threw on another military outfit and plodded towards the mess hall, hoping that it really was open all day like it was advertised.  
Fox walked through the doorway, half surprised to see a lone person sitting at one of the tables within. Sniffing the air, smiling as he caught a whiff of the freshly brewed coffee at the opposite end, he got as far as the table at which the person sat at before his energy gave out, the vulpine dropping into a chair with a groan.  
The female lynx sitting next to him looked up from her drink, taking a look at the exhausted pilot. "Tired?" she asked in a friendly voice.  
"Very," mumbled Fox, his head buried in his arms.  
"I can see that." She smiled as she watched him reach over with one free paw, trying to grab her drink. "I think you need something a bit stronger than what I'm having." Looking behind her at where the morning breakfast was being prepared, she called out, "Isabelle, you back there?"  
A few seconds passed before a white furred hare poked her head into sight. "Somethin' I can help with, Celine?"  
"I have someone here who needs one of your specials."  
"Sure thing, ma'am. Be right there."  
Half a minute passed before the chef returned, carrying a steaming mug that she placed in front of Fox. "Now, good sir, if you drink that all right up, I guarantee that you'll feel as right as rain in no time."  
The vulpine raised his head as he smelled the drink nearby. Too tired to think about what might be in the container, he only gave it a quick glance as he took a swig.  
His eyes shot open as the liquid practically burned as it slid down his throat. He had never tasted anything like it before, and he wondered if it was even safe to drink. "What is this stuff?" he sputtered.  
"It's an old family recipe, one that'll do ya wonders. Now, if ya'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."  
Taking another sip of the unknown liquid, Fox felt a warm, energetic feeling flowing through his body. Whatever the stuff was, it was definitely waking him up. Feeling like he owed the person sitting next to him some thanks in gratitude, he asked, "What brings you here if I may ask?"  
Celine looked at him with tired eyes. It had been a long, boring night in the command center where she worked, and on top of that she had lots on her mind with the upcoming battle. "Just got a replacement in for my shift up in command, so I'm down here getting a drink before I head back."  
Now feeling wide-awake, Fox took a good look at the tan furred lynx as he continued to drink. He could tell that there was something else on her mind, and he had a good guess as to what it was. "Are you ready for the battle today?"  
She sighed, looking down into her now empty cup. "No. I...I'm scared."  
"Why?"  
"I've seen what Andross' forces can do. It isn't pretty. And on top of that we're trusting our existence to this untested Starfox team and their Arwings."  
Fox tried his best to hide his shock at this statement, surprised to find somebody who didn't know who he was, especially after the little announcement to the rest of the base the night before. "Why does this worry you so much?"  
"It's just so out of my control. I'm only a simple communications officer, so I won't be able to do anything short of listening in on the chatter they produce in combat. I'm worried about them, and the defense of this base, mainly because I don't have any idea who they are."  
"Nobody?"  
Celine shook her head. "I've seen Fara Phoenix a few times during her test flights and I've heard of Fox McCloud. I mean, who hasn't heard of him thanks to his father? At least around here anyway. But I don't know any of them, much less seen them."  
The vulpine doing everything he could to keep from laughing due to her last statement, he finished the last dregs in his cup, trying to figure out what to say. He was interested in what others had to say about him, even though this wasn't the best way of doing just that. "I see your point."  
"And on top of it all…" She quieted, tilting her head to one side as she gave Fox an inquisitive look. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you do here? You're dressed like a patrol pilot, but I thought I knew all of them."  
While he enjoyed hiding his identity like this, he knew that the gig was up. "Actually…I'm Fox McCloud, leader of the Starfox team."  
Celine's eyes grew wide in shock, stunned that she had been badmouthing the lead pilot and the team that was here to defend the base. "I…I'm sorry, sir," she stammered. "I…I had—"  
Fox raised his paws, trying to calm her panicking self down. "Please, it was my fault for not saying anything earlier."  
"But…but, sir, I was insulting your team and—"  
"No you weren't. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm just surprised that you didn't know who I was."  
Faced with a person who seemingly didn't take any offense to what she had said, she slowly composed herself, still unable to believe her luck. "I've been working, sir, since before the General's announcement, so while I heard it, I didn't see anything he was talking about."  
"That explains that then. And please drop the sir remarks. Call me Fox."  
"Okay, sir…Fox." She looked across the room, standing up as she noticed the time. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."  
Fox stood up as well. "As do I. Thanks for this most interesting conversation, and for the drink. Good luck today."  
Celine shook her head. "You're the one who needs the good luck, not I. I'll just be doing my job while you save everyone on this planet. Thank you for everything you're doing for us." She turned and left, not giving him a chance to counter her statement.  
He sighed, tired of being reminded that the fate of the entire planet, as well as the system, rested upon his team's shoulders. "Why must I always be the hero?" he quietly asked himself. His energy fully restored, he walked out of the mess hall, ready for anything that Andross threw his way.

At that same instant above the planet, the Venomian Battleship Vengeance slowed to a halt, its shiny, silver tinted metal hull glinting in the sun. Inside the ship, the lizard commander stood up and surveyed the planet below. With a smile he said to the staff around him, "Contact Andross. Let him know that we have arrived at Corneria."  
Shortly thereafter, Andross sat in his control room, very pleased for once. "Battleship Vengeance, you know your orders," he said over his headset. "With the destruction of this base, the entire Lylat system will be mine. Demolish it and take no prisoners."  
"Yes, sir," said the commander he was talking to. "We'll get back to you once we've destroyed the base for further orders, sir. Over and out."  
Andross sat back in his chair, knowing that victory would finally be his in only a short time. Nothing was going to stop him now. Nothing.

Fox McCloud sat down on his bed, left with nothing much to do other than wait. His wait wasn't long however, as within a minute of him sitting down, Pepper's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Attention all personnel, this is General Pepper speaking. The time for war is upon us. All hands to battle stations, I repeat, all hands to battle stations. This is not a drill. A Venomian battleship has just entered planetary sensor range, and is on an approach vector towards our base, with an ETA of roughly 50 minutes. Once again, all hands to battle stations. More information will be provided as soon as we get it. General Pepper out."  
Sighing, knowing it was do or die time for his team, Fox prepared himself as best he could for the battle ahead. A short chime from his computer interrupted his thoughts however a few moments after. Looking over, it indicated that the General was trying to contact him. With a single key press he accepted the call.  
An exhausted looking Pepper appeared on screen, eyes drooping. "Morning, Junior," he said. "Sleep well?"  
He could tell that he canine was in no mood for conversation, so he decided to give him the respect earned from his rank. "About as well as you did, sir."  
"Ah, the joys of youth. You don't look tired at all." Pepper turned his gaze away from the monitor for a moment, reminiscing on his earlier years. "Anyway, something tells me you just heard my little speech. I need you and your team in my office on the 11th floor in 10 minutes."  
Fox nodded. "Understood. Anything else?"  
"No. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make a few more calls." Pepper ended his communication without another word.   
He sat there staring at the blank screen for only a moment before bringing up the list of his teammates. The first name on his list was Fara, so with a simple key press he gave her a call.  
The screen stayed dark until it responded with a simple 'No Answer' notice. Fox shook his head, thinking that Fara being out at a time like this seemed unusual. Touching the keys again, he contacted Peppy.  
"I'm up, I'm up," was all he heard as the hare sat down in front of the terminal. "What do you want?"  
"You're in a delightful mood today, aren't you?" asked Fox with a smile.  
Shaking his head, Peppy tried to bring himself into some sort of wakefulness. His fur was fluffed up in disarray, looking nothing like his normal self. "Well, I was trying to sleep when I was so rudely woken up. What do you want, Fox? I need a coffee badly."  
"Sorry, old friend, I forgot about your drinking needs." He grinned. "Anyway, Pepper just called. He wants us up in his office on the 11th floor in about 9 minutes." Fox paused a moment before asking his next question. "Do you know where Fara might be? I tried to get her first, and she isn't in her room."  
Peppy looked concerned, but only for a moment. "I wouldn't worry about it, Fox. She had to have heard the announcement no matter where she is. Something tells me that having been here so long she should know about visiting Pepper's office as well."  
"Good point. Well, I need to call everyone else. See you shortly."  
He was about to end the call when the hare interrupted, seeing the worry on his friend's face. "Hold on, Fox. I'll give the other two a call, you go find Fara."  
Fox beamed a smile, appreciating the simple gesture. "Thanks. I'll see you in a bit then."  
Leaning back in his chair, he debated on where Fara might be. Knowing he had a few minutes before he had to be in the General's office, he gathered up his flight gear and decided to wander, having a guess where his teammate might be. Passing by numerous people who actually had somewhere else to be, he found himself in front of the same place he'd wandered into two days ago - the botanical gardens.  
The double set of doors opened and closed behind him as he walked in, once again smiling as the smells of the garden wafted over him. His way lit only by small lights installed on either side of the path, Fox walked over to the windows at the far side of the garden, looking outside as he approached. It was still too early for the sun to be up, and the overcast skies blocked any attempt for the sun to light anything as it approached daybreak.  
Hearing a rustling sound coming from a tree nearby, he spun around and drew his blaster, his eyes gazing into the near darkness searching for the source of the noise. A very familiar laugh drifted down from the trees above, startling him once again.  
"You know, Fox, you scare way too easily." He recognized the voice immediately - it was Fara. She laughed again as he replaced his weapon in its holster. "What brings you here this early in the morning you silly?"  
Fox stared into the trees, attempting to follow the voice to its source. "I could ask the same of you, Fara."  
She giggled. "You know, I did ask first. Luckily for you however, I'm in a generous mood today. I was up here hoping the clouds would go away so I could enjoy the sunrise. It's so nice to watch as it clears the treetops and shines in here."  
"Ah. Do you mind if you came down?" He'd had no luck so far finding where the vixen was hiding, and preferred talking to somebody he could see. On top of that there was the upcoming battle that needed their immediate attention. "I find it slightly odd talking to a tree. Besides, you're needed upstairs."  
Fox watched as Fara slowly stood up, coming into view as she pushed a few branches out of her way, making sure of her balance. She sounded excited as she continued talking, coming to the only possible conclusion to his statement. "Really? That jerk Andross is finally attacking, isn't he?"  
He nodded. "Yes. Pepper wants to see us all before we go into battle as well, and I'm guessing we have another five minutes at most until the meeting."  
Fara completely appeared as she looked for the easiest way down. She was dressed in the same purple outfit she wore before, with her flight jacket draped over one arm. "Be down in a sec," she said with a grin. With what could be looked at as years of practice, she jumped nimbly from branch to branch, stopping only long enough to steady herself before continuing downward.  
With a final leap the vixen dropped to the ground next to Fox, holding her arms out for balance as she straightened up. She smiled from her performance while he just shook his head. "What?" she asked with a grin.  
He laughed, amazed at her agility. "I can't believe they let you do that. I'm quite impressed though, Fara, you're rather the nimble one."  
She bowed at the compliment. "Thanks. For all the work I do here in my off time, I deserve a little bit of freedom." She looked over towards the exit, eager for battle. "Shall we go?"  
"Yeah. Let's go see what pep talk Pepper is going to give us." The two sprinted off to the nearest elevator, anxious to get in the Arwings and into combat, even though it could just as easily be their early graves.

As expected all five pilots were assembled in the General's rather sparse meeting room shortly thereafter. There was only one problem. "Lovely," complained Falco, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Pepper is late to his own meeting."  
Fara giggled. "Old fuddy-duddy on time? That would be a first."  
Peppy and Slippy sat back in their chairs sipping some coffee from a conveniently placed machine as the rest of the team quietly listened to Falco rant. "And what's with these flight jackets? These things are too small and white is such a generic boring color."  
Slippy quickly became tired of the avian's constant complaining, and the lack of sleep wasn't helping. "Falco, would you mind shutting up for once?"  
Fox worked, as usual, to diffuse the situation. "Guys, cut it out."  
Peppy just shook his head as he took another sip of his drink. He was too tired to get involved right now. Fara decided to try another tactic to keep the avian happy. "You know, Falco, we all have to wear these things. I kinda like them." She paused and then smiled. "Besides, you look cute in it. Gives you the look of someone important."  
The coffee that Peppy was drinking almost ended up on the far wall as he tried to contain his laughter. "Fara, my dear, Falco has been called quite a few names in his lifetime, but cute was never one of them. Trust me on this."  
The whole room broke out into laughs, Falco refusing to join in. It was at that moment the door behind them opened, allowing the General to walk in. The pilots quieted as he said, "Glad to see you're all in a good mood today. However, it's time to get down to business." He sat down behind his desk, ruffling through the top drawer until he found a small remote. Pulling it out, he pointed it at the wall monitor on his right side and pressed a button.  
The monitor quickly powered up, displaying a rotating image of some kind of large cruiser. "What you're all looking at is the Venomian Battleship Vengeance. We know the exact name of the craft due to the scorch marks on its hull as the fighters on both Katina and Macbeth valiantly tried to shoot it down."  
Pepper stood up and flicked the remote he was holding, producing a long stick that he used to point out the important areas of the ship. "Much to our dismay, this is a very powerful craft. It is armed with multiple point defense lasers and a very powerful plasma cannon on the front. This craft is much more maneuverable than one would think, so keep that in mind when you face it. Thankfully it was the craft we trained you to combat in the simulators, so it's not a complete unknown to you all."  
Pushing a button on the remote caused the image to change to a recording of the cruiser in action. "This footage is when it attacked Katina. That plasma cannon is a very powerful weapon, capable of taking down buildings in a single shot. It also cuts through shielding on something as powerful as a base with little effort. So, needless to say, your priority is to make sure this craft does not get within firing range of this base, or you might not find anywhere to return your Arwings to once you've finished your mission."  
Pepper pushed another button the remote, powering down the monitor. "One last thing. The techs think they have the Nova Bomb problems solved. They have not had the time to test it obviously, so if you decide to use them, do so with extreme caution."  
Sensing that this discussion was over, Fox stood up and looked over his team. "Okay everyone, it's time to get down to business. See you soon, General."  
The rest of the team stood up and turned to leave when Pepper stopped them. "Good luck," was all he said. Without another word, everyone left, leaving him alone. Looking up at the ceiling, he said, "James, your son is such a splitting image of you. It's too bad you can't see him now. I just hope he fights as well as you did." That said, he turned around and left, his mind quickly focusing on the battle ahead.

The elevator opened up for the Starfox team, revealing the engineering crew making final preparations on the Arwings. Fox said quietly to his team, "We know what we're here for, now let's get out there and do it." The five sprinted off to their craft, everyone climbing aboard and getting settled quickly.  
Adjusting his headset, the vulpine heard a male voice say, "Starfox team, this is command. It is now roughly twenty minutes until sunrise, under mostly cloudy skies and little wind, unless you travel into the upper atmosphere. Hostiles closing from the east-northeast, range of just over 125 miles. Scanners show that they have launched roughly fifteen fighters, currently flying with the battleship."  
The first voice cut off, and another male voice came on. "Starfox team, engineering here. You are clear to takeoff at anytime. Safe flying out there."  
"Roger," replied Fox. Switching over to his team's frequency he said, "We've been cleared for launch. Time to get out there and do some damage."  
With a rumble his Arwing came to life, his ship as eager to get into the skies as he was. Throwing the throttle forward, his craft quickly sped down the launch bay and out into the dark, cloudy skies surrounding the base. Establishing a holding pattern nearby, he waited for his teammates to arrive. Like the day before, the other pilots quickly launched and came into line with his craft.  
With all five Arwings in the air, Fox said, "All craft report in."  
"This is Peppy, I'm good to go."  
"Falco here, ready to kick some ass."  
"Slippy reporting, I'm ready."  
"Fara responding, let's take it to them."  
Fox came back on. "Okay, team, we know our target and we're ready for action. Go to formation Alpha, full throttle. Take down the fighters first and keep away from that cruiser unless it makes a break for the base. Watch each other's back and yell if you need a hand." He smiled as he thought of the battle ahead. "Let's rock."  
Boosters glowing brightly, the Starfox team shot off into action.


	11. Starfox in Action

Well, this is it - the first of many battles in and around the Lylat system. I hope it doesn't disappoint. As I keep on saying, reviews are always accepted. Thanks for reading.  
----------  
  
  
**Chapter 11: Starfox in Action**  
_Ah, the thrill of battle. I just hope this training pays off._ – Fox  
_Finally, a fight. About damn time._ – Falco  
_Now to see how good these guys really are._ – Fara  
_One pitiful military base is all that stands in the way of total victory. Squash it like a bug._ – Andross 

The distance quickly closed between the two battle groups, both sides eagerly awaiting combat for entirely different reasons. Fear and concern were pushed aside as the team approached, knowing that they had a job to do, and nothing was going to change it at this point. Less than five minutes later, the two forces clashed in battle.  
The Arwings held their formation, spinning slightly to dodge enemy fire and to concentrate theirs upon the wave of advancing ships. Their first pass destroyed seven out of the fifteen ships that were already in the skies. "Nice work team," commented Fox. "Break formation and engage the enemy." With military precision the five Arwings spun off in different directions, each picking a different target to shoot down.

Inside the Vengeance however, was a much different story. "What do you mean their military craft are demolishing our own?" yelled an astounded commander.  
"I'm sorry, sir," replied a panicking lizard, looking over the data provided to him via his console. "These craft came from nowhere! Their capabilities far exceed anything we've seen before!"  
The commander growled. "Fine then. Launch all remaining fighters! Accelerate to full speed towards their base and keep only the dozen bomber craft around us! If they are better than us, we'll see how well they fare against overwhelming numbers!"

Back outside in the battle, Fara squeezed the trigger to her blasters and watched as another enemy vessel exploded in her sights, lighting up the dark sky for a moment. "Nice shot, Fara!" exclaimed Fox suddenly, having seen the destruction from his point of view. "You really peeled the paint off that fighter!"  
Fara laughed, grateful for the attention, as unlike the rest of the team, she'd never truly been in combat before. "Is that a personal or a professional assessment of my skills, Fox?"  
The vulpine never got a chance to respond as Peppy broke in on their conversation. "Sorry to interrupt, but the battleship is launching more fighters."  
"Oh geez," whined Falco jokingly, looking for another target. "And here I thought we were going to have an easy fight. Bring them on I say!"  
Slippy took a closer look at his radar readouts as he chased down another hostile. "Based on my readings here, I'm guessing that is their entire fighter compliment."  
Fox fired his blasters, causing another fighter to explode in a brilliant ball of fire. "How many total craft are we looking at out here, Slippy?"  
"About 80, best guess. The computer says seventeen kills already."  
A fighter exploded from a barrage of Falco's blasters, charred debris falling to the ground below. "Make that eighteen. Those numbers sound like my kind of battle."  
"That would be to your liking, wouldn't it, Falco," commented Fox, watching as his radar lit up from a sudden influx of contacts. "Here they all come!" The idle chatter instantly quieted as the team simply concentrated on surviving. 

Back at the command center of the base, all eyes were watching the outcome of the battle from the multitude of computer equipment around the room. Gary was sitting at one of the terminals with the General standing watch nearby. "Give me an update everyone," asked Pepper confidently.  
Celine spoke up first from her communication station. "Planetary communications have been quiet sir, other than the surprises from the planet being invaded. No cities have been attacked from what I'm hearing."  
A tan furred male bobcat was the next to speak. "Sir, scanners show that the enemy is down to 65 craft, with all hostiles currently staying away from the base."  
Gary said his information from his seat at another terminal. "The Starfox team is doing well, although they are now vastly outnumbered. It looks like—"  
The bobcat interrupted what was being said. "I have a correction - the battleship has veered off from the fighters and is moving towards us at a high rate of speed. Estimated time of arrival is just over ten minutes."  
"Great," muttered Pepper. "I knew this was going too easy." The General walked over to Celine's terminal, picking up a spare headset lying there. She nodded as he put it on, indicating that he was patched in. "Starfox team, Pepper here. The Vengeance has moved away from you and is heading our way."  
Fox replied to the call for help, his voiced strained as his attention was obviously somewhere else. "I can't help you this instant, General. We're overwhelmed as it is, and if any of us break off right now to assist, I'll lose whoever I leave behind."  
Pepper shook his head and sighed. "Noted and understood, Junior. Keep in mind that the Vengeance is due here in nine and a half minutes. I don't need to tell you what will happen not long after that."  
"I know. We'll be there as soon as we can. I gotta go, Fox out."  
The bobcat, sensing that the General was done, said, "Sir, a dozen craft have broken away from the battleship and are increasing speed towards us. They look like they are heavily armed with missiles."  
"And now things get interesting." Pepper turned towards Celine and had her patch him into the base's com system. "Corneria Base, this is Pepper. All hands, prepare for combat."

Faced against overwhelming odds, the Starfox team fought to just stay alive. It was a fight they were currently winning, but everyone knew that they could not hold out forever. "Damn it!" cursed Falco as laser fire struck his shields once again. "There are too many of them out here!"  
Even in the midst of battle, Fox had to laugh. "If Falco says we are overwhelmed, then we definitely are overwhelmed. If anybody has a great idea right now, I could use one."  
Falco dove towards the ground at full throttle, pulling up at the last moment, causing a fighter that was trailing him to go smashing into the ground. "Stupid idiot," he muttered. "We could use a Nova Bomb on the lot of them."  
"No!" screamed Fara, remembering what happened last time she had tried to test the weapon. "Besides the fact that we're all too close together to let one off, if the system fails like it has in the past, you'll completely power down your Arwing in mid-flight!"  
Slippy wove through the sky, dodging laser fire as he said, "Fox, unless I'm reading this wrong, some fighters left with the battleship as well and they've nearly reached the base!"  
The vulpine cursed, being forced to decide what to do far faster than he would of liked. Thinking quickly he said, "New plan team. Everyone go vertical at full throttle until you hit 10,000 feet. Then turn and head directly towards the base as fast as you can."  
"Won't that allow the fighters here free access to shoot at whatever they want around here?" asked Peppy as he spun away from an attacking craft.  
Smiling, Fox replied, "Not if we all make a quick attack as a team against the battleship as we pass it. They'll be forced to recall those fighters as defense incase we keep attacking."  
"I like it," said Falco, actually sounding pleased for a change. His pleasant mood soured quickly as more laser-fire struck his shields. "Then again, any plan that involves us not staying around here until we get killed is a good one in my book."  
"I'm glad to hear you agree for once," commented Fox. "As a team we fly up in 3, 2, 1…" Pulling straight up, he engaged his boosters, sending his Arwing hurtling into the sky. The craft trailing him quickly vanished, unable to keep up with his speed. Seconds later he said, "Good, we're all here. We're heading to the battleship, formation Alpha again. Let's see if we can do any kind of damage to that thing."

Back inside the base, things were going just as poorly. The lights dimmed and the structure shook as another missile impacted against the base's shields. "Report!" barked the General.  
The bobcat gave his information without looking up from his screen. "Shields are holding, sir, but for how long I don't know. We aren't having much luck shooting anything down with our defense turrets either."  
Pepper stumbled as the base shook again. "Blast! Where's the Starfox team?"  
Gary shook his head. "Sorry, General, the sensors have gone offline. The techs are working as fast as they can to jury-rig something."  
Turning towards communications, Pepper continued gathering information. "Can you contact the team?"  
Celine fiddled with her computer, giving up after a few seconds. "No, sir. It seems that communications are being blocked."  
Gary waved Pepper over to him. "General, if I may offer a suggestion." The canine nodded, ready to take any ideas at this point, so he continued. "Tell the gunnery crew to concentrate their fire on the missiles, not the craft firing them. We might survive a bit longer until the Starfox team gets here."  
"Agreed," responded Pepper. "I just hope Fox gets over here soon. There won't be much left to defend shortly."

Fox sat back in his seat, peering out into the early morning darkness. "I see the Vengeance ahead," he told his team a few seconds later, spotting the craft's engine glow.  
"I hope your tactic works, Fox," said Fara, growing worried as she looked at the radar. "About half the fighters we abandoned have given up following us and are headed towards Corneria City itself."  
"We have a bigger problem," said Peppy with a sigh. "I can't raise the base. They're still there, and are getting shot at, but I can't contact them."  
"Lovely," grumbled the vulpine. Things were not going well as far as he was considered. His team had just run from one fight and was headed towards a confrontation far worse. "Can anything else go wrong?"  
"Don't say that," commented the hare with a laugh. "The worst always happens afterward."  
"Good point. Keep in formation and fire on the Vengeance as soon—" With wide eyes Fox watched as the battleship began to turn around at a speed far faster than the bulky size suggested. Cursing silently he changed what he was going to say. "Break formation! Same plan as before – a single pass then continue onwards to the base!"  
The Arwings spun and rolled out of the way as the battleship fired upon them, its plasma cannon firing and missing Falco by mere feet. "Damn!" cursed the avian. "That shot came so close I think it singed a few of my feathers!"  
The team retaliated by firing upon the Vengeance, dodging return fire from its defense turrets as they did so. Fara's voice came over the com system shortly thereafter. "Fox, it looked like your plan has worked - the fighters are now all coming back our way. The craft attacking the base are staying there however."  
"Good. Break away and continue to the base. Watch your tails for any return fire from the battleship." He looked over his computer, trying to determine the answer to his next question before he asked it, making sure he wasn't attacked in the process. "Slippy, did we do any damage to that thing?"  
"According to these readings we did some, but not much. The shields and armor are tougher than they look on that thing."  
"Okay. I've come up with a new plan then - it will take us a minute and a half to get to the base, and once we get there, we need to take out those attacking it as quick as possible."  
"Impressive plan there, oh wondrous leader," joked Falco as he checked over his craft's status, still upset at almost being shot down.  
"Funny," said Fox. "The reasoning is simple though - that battleship is getting way too close for comfort. We'd attack it now, but we need the base in one piece."  
"Don't forget the smaller fighters nearby and the ones on their way back either," said Fara. "They aren't too much of a threat to the base, but to us they are."  
"Don't worry, I haven't. Since they've split up though, it should make our lives a bit easier." Fox paused, glancing around at the slowly brightening sky. "We're almost at the base. Let's rock."

At the base however, things had deteriorated severely. Yet another missile had penetrated their defenses, this time cutting power to the control room. Within moments backup systems brought power back online, but the fact that they had lost power was unnerving to those inside. Cursing silently, Pepper once again asked for a report.  
Gary looked over to the canine, a grim look on his face. "One of our two generators just went offline in that last hit. Backups are running, but they are not designed for this kind of strain for any length of time."  
"What about our defensive systems?"  
"Three of our turrets have been damaged and our shields are failing. We can not take much more of this before we begin to take severe damage."  
Pepper turned towards Celine, who just shook her head at the question the he had on his lips. "Damn it!" he cursed once more, this time out loud. "Where's the Starfox team?"  
His answer never came as someone in the room suddenly yelled, "Incoming missile!"  
"Everyone, take cover!" barked Pepper, guessing that the shields wouldn't take another hit. The staff quickly ducked behind their desks, leaving nobody but the General standing after a few moments. Instead, he stood and watched as the missile approached, knowing that his first true military battle on Corneria was about to come to a very explosive end.  
Moments before impact blaster fire streaked past the window, striking the missile and causing it to detonate in a burst of flame. The others who were watching stood up and cheered as an Arwing flew by their view. Pepper just shook his head as he quietly said to nobody in particular, "James, your son is so much like you. Always in the nick of time."  
Sensors still offline, the command staff watched the resulting battle through the windows, hoping that the Starfox team would prove victorious.

Blasters firing, the five Arwings charged after their dozen opponents, knowing they had little time to eliminate them before the next wave fell upon the base. The missile-laden craft weren't anywhere near as agile as the fighters they previously encountered, so they fell rapidly to the firepower of the team. "That's one more scumbag down!" yelled Falco as the final craft exploded in midair. "Who's next?"  
"The twenty or so that just came within range," said Peppy as he swung his Arwing into position in preparation for the next battle.  
"24 actually," commented Slippy, grinning as he corrected the hare.  
Fox began firing on the new arrivals, not caring too much on exactly how many he was shooting at. "Falco, you think that three Arwings could defend the base and take these guys down?"  
He already had a good guess of what Fox was going to ask next. "Eight to one odds sound like my kind of fun for those that stay behind, especially with the base backing us up. What's on your mind?"  
"Simple. Falco, Peppy, Slippy, I want you to stay here and guard the base. Falco, you're their leader, which means you help out anyone if they need it."  
The avian smiled, always ready to take the leadership position, at least for a few minutes. "I'm on it, boss. What about you?"  
"I'm going after the battleship. Fara, you're with me."  
Fara swung her Arwing into position as she eagerly said, "Roger, Fox. Let's take down that garbage scow!"  
Fox laughed at her enthusiasm. "Anxious to get this over with, huh? Time to rock." The two Arwings sped off into the slowly brightening morning, the overcast sky still blocking the morning sun's attempts to shine light into the skies around them.

Back inside the base, Pepper stood quietly, watching the battle rage around him. His thoughts were interrupted by a light touch on the shoulder. Knowing whom it was, he asked, "Yes, Gary?"  
"Just wanted to give you a quick update on things. Communications are up and running and the sensor systems are online again." Gary stood there, waiting for a response. Finding none forthcoming, he asked quietly, "What's on your mind, Pepper?"  
The General turned around and sighed. "I'm just worried, that's all. Last night I was concerned that we wouldn't live to see another sunrise. Now it actually looks like we'll get through this."  
"Our great leader is worried about the little things like a sunrise. How touching." Gary laughed softly, Pepper joining in shortly thereafter. "Well, sunrise will be here momentarily, as soon as the clouds burn off anyway, so you have nothing to worry about."  
"I guess you're right," replied Pepper. "As usual."  
The cheetah laughed once again, please to see that his attempts to lighten the mood were working. It had been a close call for everyone there for a few minutes as far as he was concerned. "It's my job to be correct. Anyway, I need to get back to my station. Enjoy your sightseeing."  
Once again left alone, Pepper turned back to watch the Arwings continue their battle around the base.

Fox and Fara quickly found themselves approaching the battleship once again. "Are you ready?" he asked.  
"Let's send this jerk back from where it came," she replied with a grin.  
The two Arwings broke away from each other, their blasters firing in unison towards the battleship. The Vengeance returned fire with its turrets, but was unable to do any kind of damage as the attacking craft were simply too agile. "This is too easy," said Fara eagerly.  
"Don't let your guard down, Fara," said Fox, making sure her attention was fully on the battle. "That main cannon of its would blow us out of the sky. Those turrets are nothing to laugh at either."  
Fara suddenly swerved off her latest run, avoiding a hail of laser fire headed her way. "No, and neither are those ships that we left behind some time ago."  
Fox groaned as he noticed the incoming craft, their mission suddenly made far more difficult. "Lovely. There are the other 30 or so we forgot about from before. Regroup, Fara, as our combined fire on one side of the battleship should be more effective."  
"On my way." The two Arwings sped towards the west for a few seconds before spinning around and headed east back to their target. Blaster fire once again erupted from the Arwings as they approached, striking the front part of the battleship as it turned towards them.  
The sequence of events that happened in the next few seconds would be burned into Fox's memory for the rest of his life.  
The sun, which until now had been hidden behind the overcast sky, suddenly popped out from behind the clouds directly in front of them, blinding both Arwing pilots for only a moment as the cockpit window automatically darkened. In that time frame the Vengeance fired its plasma cannon, the ball of energy quickly arcing its way towards the Arwings.  
Neither craft responded quickly enough to dodge out of the way. To Fox's horror, Fara's Arwing was struck by the blast, the resulting explosion engulfing the craft completely. "FARA!"

Over at the base just a few seconds prior, Pepper was enjoying watching the battle from his vantage point. The Arwings were doing a wondrous job of defending the base as far as he was concerned, and he was pleased that it seemed that his first true military battle at this base would become a victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.  
His good mood was smashed instantly as Celine and Gary said simultaneously, "We've lost an Arwing!"  
Pepper swiveled around, a stunned look on his face. "Who?" he asked quietly, dreading to hear the answer, fearing that the pilot in question would be dead.  
The two looked at each other, neither knowing who should give out the terrible news. Gary finally turned towards the General and simply said, "Fara Phoenix."

Fara had been overjoyed by how well the Arwings performed in a combat situation, and was pleased to be a part of the Starfox team as they fought back Andross' attempts to conquer the Lylat system. She was worried at first that the General alienating her from the rest of the team would affect her ability to merge effectively with them, but in the end her concern was all for naught as they quickly accepted her as one of their own.  
In combat she had done rather well, racking up the kills as fast as Fox and Falco had. She knew that she would be a great asset to the team after spending only a few minutes with them in this battle. She couldn't wait to travel with them to the rest of the planets in the system, repeating the same successes they were having here.  
All that came crashing down around her as the battleship fired upon her Arwing. Unable to see the shot fired upon her in time to dodge out of the way, she desperately swung her craft around letting the underside take the hit, knowing that it was the most heavily armored part of the Arwing. As Fox screamed her name, Fara only had one thing on her mind.  
_By the Creator, I'm too young to die…_

Fox watched dreadfully as the explosion subsided, hoping that Fara would somehow still be alive. A charred Arwing sputtered out of the fireball, looking nothing like the elegant craft it was only moments before. "Fara, please respond," said the worried vulpine, memories of his past flashing through his mind.  
Static filled his ears for a moment before resolving into Fara's voice, much to his relief. "Wow, I must of blinked back there."  
The vulpine shot down a fighter that got too close to the crippled Arwing, scanning the skies for other threats. "Fara, this is no time for joking. Bail out!"  
Fara ignored the noises emanating from her engine and looked around, trying to find a path to safety. "There are too many of Andross' forces around us for me to safely eject."  
Fox's eyes rose in shock as a wing dislodged from the side of the ruined Arwing and fell to the ground below. The craft compensated, but he knew that it would not stay up for much longer. "And if you don't eject, you'll be with that wing shortly. Don't worry, I have a plan." He changed frequencies and contacted Falco privately. "Falco, I could use some backup right about now."  
The avian sounded worried, which was rather unusual for him. "We're already on our way, but you're looking at a good minute for us to arrive."  
"Noted. Fox out." He got back to Fara, hoping that his plan was sound. "I'm ready whenever you are."  
"Roger. I hope you brought your catcher's mitt." She reached over and pulled the release handle on her doomed craft. With a loud pop her cockpit separated and launched away from what was left of her Arwing. A few seconds later it stopped climbing and rotated vertically, a large round panel folding out behind it. Two thrusters quickly lit up on the bottom of the cockpit, slowing its descent. "Fox, the solar panels up top are working, as are the thrusters. What's your plan?"  
"Keep as still as you can. I'll be right there."  
Fara looked around at the closing craft nervously, trying to figure out what he was doing. "Okay, but make it quick. The only defensive moves I can make in this thing are straight down."  
"I know." Fox eyed the distance and direction of the capsule and lined himself up, hoping that his estimates were accurate as to how large the gap was between his craft and his G-Diffuser system. "Fara, dumb question - is the pole your solar panels are attached to designed to carry the weight of the entire cockpit?"  
She sounded confused. "I think so, but why…" She paused, realizing what Fox was going to attempt. "You're kidding, right?"  
"Nope. Hold on!" With expert precision he shot off towards the hovering cockpit, knowing that he would have only one attempt at this. Traveling faster than he would have liked due to the enemy closing in, he fired up the retros mere yards from the capsule, dropping his shields as he did so. With a screech of metal against metal the pole supporting the solar panels caught in the small gap between the G-Diffuser wing and the right side of his Arwing. Turning the shields back on, and boosting away from the incoming laser fire, Fox asked with a concerned tone, "You okay in there Fara?"  
"I…I think so," she stuttered, stunned at what had just happened. "So, Fox, if your stunts are this impressive, what do you do for an encore?"  
Fox laughed. "Funny." He noticed the three other Arwings had appeared on his radar. "Glad to see you guys again. I need you to do something for me."  
"We're glad to see you as well, oh glorious leader," joked Falco. While he seemed calm on the exterior, deep down he'd been worried about the fate of their other pilot. He was relieved to see the escape pod attached to the side of Fox's Arwing. "At least I think we are. What suicide plan do you have us going on today?"  
The entire team laughed, Fara included. "I'm sorry that you know me too well guys. I just need you three to make a quick run at that battleship."  
"Oh, is that all," commented Falco sarcastically as he watched the hostile fighters loop around their target. "Not as crazy as your usual plans for once. Just a single pass?"  
While Fox was used to the avian's way of seeing things as dangerous as combat, it was still unnerving to hear his machismo side kick in like that. "Yes. I'm hoping that the fighters will follow you as well. When that happens, break off and don't look back."  
"Understood. Come on guys." The three Arwings formed up and blasted off towards the Vengeance. As expected, the fighters harassed the approaching craft, attempting to keep them away from the battleship. A single pass and another near miss from the plasma cannon on Falco later he said, "Mission accomplished. I'm just not sure what your point of this was other than getting my feathers singed yet again."  
"Watch." Fox fired up his boosters, coming from behind the target. As he approached he said, "Now let's see the true power of the Arwing. Time to finish this with a Nova Bomb!"  
"Fox, no!" blurted out a shocked Fara. "You don't—" The rest of her response was cut out as he pressed the fire button on the Nova Bombs. Suddenly, he completely lost power to all systems, hearing nothing but the sound of some kind of energy buildup from underneath him.  
Fox quickly feared he made a horrible mistake as he watched not only the Vengeance turn his way, but the fighters began to break off towards him as well. Unable to communicate to his teammates, and unable to maneuver either, he only sat and watched the battleship line itself up for a shot.  
Emitting a high-pitched whine a Nova Bomb launched from underneath his Arwing, streaking towards the Vengeance with a blinding flash. With a gut-wrenching lurch Fox pulled his craft away from the battleship as it fired, power having come back online only moments before. Escaping the plasma cannon shot by only a few feet, he turned his craft around to watch the resulting explosion.  
His aim had been as accurate as he had hoped, the bomb striking the Vengeance almost head-on. The entire Starfox team watched in amazement as the battleship simply vanished under a blinding white flash, only to be replaced by nothing but wreckage moments after. The fighters that were nearby had been vaporized in the blast as well, the small chunks of craft falling out of the sky the only indication that there was anything there before. "Wow," said Fox quietly, completely stunned at what he'd just seen.  
Fara was the only one who wasn't floored, having seen the weapon's awesome destructive power a few times before. "That, my friends, is the Nova Bomb in action. Fox here was also kind enough to demonstrate the problem with exactly what happens when you fire the thing off."  
"Sorry," said Fox apologetically, dropping his head in shame. He had endangered more than his own life with that stunt and he knew it.  
"Not your fault at all as the techs said they had it fixed." She didn't blame him in the slightest, as she knew he was doing what he felt was right.  
Falco did a quick search around the wreckage looking for survivors. "I hope they get it working soon as that's one heck of an amazing weapon. There's nothing left for me to shoot."  
"Nor do I see any salvageable wreckage among that mess either," commented Slippy, looking among the debris.  
"Anyone find my Arwing?" asked Fara hopefully.  
"I did, Fara," replied Peppy sadly. "It looks like it exploded upon hitting the ground. There isn't much left unfortunately."  
"Damn," she cursed. This was her first real battle and she'd already destroyed her irreplaceable ship. "Looks like you're down a team member."  
"No, Fara, I'm definitely keeping you on," said Fox, trying to improve her mood. "You're way too good up in the skies for us to lose. Besides, there must be something else you can do to keep yourself occupied while we become the 'saviors of the Lylat system', as Pepper would put it."  
Despite all that had happened in the last few minutes, Fara had to laugh. "Thanks, Fox. That means quite a bit coming from you."  
"Anytime. Okay, team, unless anyone gives me a very good reason to stay out here, I say it's time to go home." The other pilots couldn't find any excuse to stay in the skies, so the four remaining Arwings boosted off back to base.


	12. It's Not All Fun and Games Anymore

The first of many battles has come to an end, and the team is already short a pilot. Will this affect their time in the skies as the war continues? You'll only find out if you continue reading. As always, reviews are fully accepted.  
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**Chapter 12: It's Not All Fun and Games Anymore**  
_I can't believe it. By pure luck something's gone wrong and I've been blown out of the sky. Now I have to sit and watch from here on out. And I wanted to fly…with them… _- Fara 

After a quick extraction of Fara's cockpit from Fox's Arwing, all four craft safely landed back at base. As the pilots left their vehicles the entire staff came out to cheer and applaud the team. Fox as usual tried to downplay the entire situation to the crowd by saying, "Come now everyone, we didn't do all that much."  
The crowd quieted, but only for a moment as Falco exclaimed, "What our boss here means is that he wants you to save the cheering until we take back the entire system!" The cheering turned to laughter for a moment before erupting to a deafening roar of applause.  
Peppy whispered into the vulpine's ear, trying to get a point across. "Fox, give it up. You're a hero. Why don't you just go with the crowd for now and enjoy yourself. Act like the champion the staff here thinks you are."  
Fox nodded before speaking to the group. "My friends, I think we are all in agreement when I say that with this victory, we've shown that we have the power to take the fight back to Andross! We will not stop until the Starfox team has retaken all the planets that are rightfully ours, and have gotten rid of that hairy ape once and for all!" The crowd roared at his statement, continuing to cheer until the General pushed his way through the assembled personnel and over to the pilots.  
Pepper raised his paws to get some attention. "Sorry to interrupt this cheerful celebration, but you know as well as I do that we all have some serious work that needs to be done to the Arwings and the base that houses them." A few brave souls booed from the back. "Now hold on there. I didn't say that you couldn't celebrate. Let's get some work out of the way first, and we'll continue this in something more resembling a party around dinner tonight. What do you say?" The crowd cheered. "Good. You are all dismissed."  
The group watched as the crowd dispersed, leaving only the five pilots and the General in relative peace. "Sorry I took so long getting over here," said Pepper with a slight smile. "I never knew that 70 some people could make such a racket."  
"Neither did we," said Fox, grinning. "At least the staff is happy."  
Pepper tapped the headset he was wearing. "The staff and about all of the planet more accurately. You should hear some of the calls we've been getting from the media as well. My poor communications officer upstairs is fielding them all right now."  
"Ah, the media," said Peppy. "So useful and such an annoyance at the same—" The hare's train of thought was interrupted as he noticed Fara suddenly tilt to one side, ready to fall over. He quickly moved to catch her before she dropped to the ground.  
Pepper yelled over the medic who was still waiting to get back to his floor. The sudden change in posture kept Fara from vanishing into unconsciousness as the medic ran over. She looked up wearily as the rest of the team peered over her. "I can't believe I just did that."  
Fox looked over Fara with concern. "Considering what we've all been through, I'm surprised we're all still standing."  
"Speak for yourself, Fox," commented Peppy wearily from his location on the floor as he held up the vixen. "I'll just sit right here for the time being thank you very much."  
The medic arrived, the male hare putting on a pair of glasses as he quickly glanced over the entire team. "What happened?" he asked in a kind yet authoritative voice.  
Fara looked up from her position in Peppy's lap as she said tiredly, "I just about fainted a second ago."  
The medic fetched a small band from his jacket and affixed it to Fara's wrist. Pulling out a handheld monitor from another pocket, he watched as results appeared on the screen. Looking back at the vixen he asked, "Which craft is yours, my dear?"  
She pointed to the capsule that was being looked over by the engineering staff. "That's it. What's left of it anyway."  
The hare nodded, scratching the light brown fur on his head as he debated on what to say. "I figured as much." He turned and looked Peppy in the eyes, judging his condition as he removed the wristband from the other pilot. "If you two are any indication of the rest of your team, I need to see everyone in my office now."  
"Anything serious?" asked Pepper in a concerned tone.  
The medic shook his head as he stood back up. "Looks like simple exhaustion, General, but I need to check everyone over before I say so for sure."  
"But I—"  
"Sorry, General, doctor's orders. You can debrief your pilots later."  
Pepper sighed, knowing that he had no chance of winning this argument. "Let me know when you're done, understood?"  
The hare nodded, turning back to look over the team. "Shall we go?" Offering a paw to Fara, he added, "Do you need some help, my dear, or can you walk?"  
She shook off the assistance as she tried to stand up. "No, I'll be—" A wave of dizziness washed over the vixen, dropping her to her knees. "On the other hand…"  
Fox walked over, motioning Falco over as well. "Here," said the vulpine softly, "let me help."  
Fara grabbed his paws, pulling herself up to a standing position. She waved off Falco as she leaned into Fox's shoulder, refusing to look like a complete weakling in front of the whole team. "We ready to go?" she asked.  
Without another word the Starfox team walked over to the elevator, the combined effects from lack of sleep and the exhausting battle finally beginning to catch up to everyone.

The team walked into the medical bay, the medic having moved ahead of the group to let the rest of the staff know that he was bringing company. The hare met them as they entered, gesturing to the beds behind him as he said, "Everyone find a bunk and lay down if you would."  
Fox looked around the room as he walked Fara over to a bed. A dozen beds were along two walls of the facility, each bed equipped with a monitor above. Two of the beds were currently occupied, a female panda watching over them. A side door led to what Fox assumed was their office, and a waiting room was located back the way they came. The only other thing of interest short of a set of computers along one wall was two cylindrical chambers the size of the beds in the middle of the room.  
Making sure his team was settled, Fox sat down on an unoccupied bed, watching as his vital signs appeared on the monitor above. The medics glanced at the information on his screen then moved on to the rest of his team. Surprised they didn't start with him, he sat back and awaited his turn.  
He listened in on the conversations going on between his team and the medical personnel as he sat there. Falco grumbled as usual, refusing to admit any kind of weakness, while Peppy and Slippy were helpful as always. Fara sounded frail to Fox's ears, and he worried if his stunt flying tactics he used in saving her did more harm than good.  
Finally both medics turned their attention to Fox. "My name is Zhen," said the light red furred panda in a friendly yet serious voice. "My assistant here is Devan, whom you've already met." The hare nodded in greetings as his name was mentioned. "I take it you are Fox McCloud?"  
"That I am," he replied. "How's the rest of the team?"  
Zhen glanced over the datapad she was holding. "Your team is doing fine, Fox, if I may call you that." He nodded. "They are simply overworked, exhausted, and in dire need of sleep right now. General Pepper has been pushing you very hard these last few days from what I understand."  
Fox quietly laughed. "You can see where the hard training got us though."  
She smiled, knowing that he was quite right. "I'm definitely not complaining. As you can see however, the average physique and psyche are not designed to take the stress." She looked at the readings from Fox once again before continuing. "You, however, are something of an abnormality. These readings clearly show the lack of sleep on your part, but you are rather alert and wide-awake, even this long after the battle has ended. Do you have any suggestion as to why?"  
He shook his head. "A fantastic constitution?"  
The panda smiled once again. "I don't think so." Devan pointed out something on the pad Zhen was holding, then pointed to some figure on the monitor above Fox. "I have a strange question for you – have you drank or eaten anything unusual in the last 12 hours or so?"  
Fox looked concerned as he thought through his day. "Not that I can think of…wait a moment. I walked into the mess hall before the alarm sounded earlier this morning. I didn't sleep much at all last night, and I wandered in there to get a coffee or something. There was this hare who suggested…"  
The two medics interrupted his train of thought with a simple, "Uh oh."  
Fox quickly grew worried. "Uh oh?" he repeated.  
The two medics had ignored Fox's comment and were discussing among themselves. "We really need to stop Isabelle from giving out those things," said Zhen.  
"They do work very well however," countered Devan. "Fox here is proof of that."  
"Uh, excuse me?" said Fox loudly, trying to get their attention. "Could either of you care to explain what the heck I drank this morning?"  
"Sorry," said Zhen, turning back to Fox. "In layman's terms, you drank a highly concentrated stimulant. It does an exceptionally good job at keeping one going throughout their day."  
"It does that with only one small side-effect however," continued Devan with a smile. "Her concoction lasts about 12 hours, give or take. Be warned - you will drop like a rock afterward as you never solved the basic problem of getting some shuteye."  
The vulpine smiled. "Aw, it looks like I'll have to miss out on the dinner in my honor."  
Zhen laughed. "Sorry, Fox, but the General called ahead of you, demanding that you're all available tonight. Ultimately you can get around the effects by getting some sleep, as can the rest of your team." She paused, double-checking her datapad for a moment. "And this finishes what I need to go over with for you. Now to say something to you all."  
She stood back and looked over the entire team, making sure she had the group's attention. "Okay, everyone, I have a few things to state and then you are free to go. By the General's orders, he wants to see you as soon as possible, and he demands you be at the dinner gathering tonight. By my orders, I want you all to get some rest. Now, we all know whose orders supersede whose." The team laughed.  
With a smile on her face, Zhen continued. "Since I don't want the General breathing down my neck, you'll have to go to the dinner later on. How you get the rest beforehand however, can be done one of two ways - the promise that you'll get at least four hours of sleep, or failing that, I can inject the lot of you and put you under. Something tells me I know what your response is going to be, so get out of here."  
Fox gathered his team for the trip back. Devan stopped them briefly before they left and said, "Now, if you want my opinion, just get some sleep until lunchtime or so, go get a good lunch, then go see Pepper for whatever he wants. I'm personally guessing that the media wants to talk to you, but I don't know for sure."  
Fox waved as they left. "Thanks for the help, and for getting us out of the media spotlight, at least for a few hours. If you only could've done the same for dinner…"  
Zhen laughed as she returned to her duties. "Personally, I wanted to keep you out of action until tomorrow, but the General would have my head if I did that."  
The team laughed once more as they worked their way back to their rooms.

The pilots walked the short distance back to their accommodations, Peppy keeping them occupied with his interesting banter. "You know, it's amazing how well adrenaline keeps the body running far beyond its limits."  
"True," said Slippy. "But unfortunately once it stops you end up being far worse off than you were to begin with."  
"That much is the truth," commented Fara, thinking back to her fainting spell.  
Falco glared over at Fox as he muttered, "Except for Mr. Energy over there anyway."  
Fox shook his head. "Falco, the cause for my vigor is far more complicated than you think. The medic says that I'll pass out in my dinner tonight if I don't get some rest."  
"That sounds so familiar for some reason," said Fara thoughtfully as the rest of the team quieted. "What was her name…that's it. Does the name Isabelle ring a bell with you, Fox?"  
The vulpine sighed. "That's the last time I take any kind of food or drink from anyone without knowing what it is first." Everyone short of Fara gave him a confused look. "Don't ask."  
They were about to pass the lounge room provided for the team when Fara stopped them. "Hey guys, why don't we go into our lounge here? You'll find it surprisingly comfortable."  
"More comfortable than our beds?" asked Peppy, doubtful of the suggestion.  
"For a good night sleep no, but something tells me none of us will be getting much more than a nap. You'll enjoy it, trust me."  
"I've heard that before," grumbled Falco.  
"I say it's a good idea," stated Fox. He really didn't care where he got his needed rest, just as long as he got it. "At the very least it's someplace we haven't been already."  
The team walked into the lounge area, quickly impressed with not only the size, but with how well furnished it was as well. The group stood near the entrance and looked around as Fara walked past them over to a computer sitting on a table nearby. The room contained three oversized couches, two of which were pointed towards a huge plasma screen on one wall and one that sat near a pool table. Four recliner chairs were scattered around as well, each offering a comfortable spot to sit and relax. A large worktable with more mundane chairs finished the overall look of the room.  
"Nice place," commented Fox as he looked around. "Too bad we didn't think about coming in here earlier, as this looks like a great place to relax."  
Fara looked over her shoulder towards the group. "Pepper seems so absentminded some days as he didn't tell you guys about much of anything short of the basics. I claim one of the couches by the way." She grinned and looked back at the computer.  
The team spread out, everyone finding a spot to sit and relax. Slippy flipped through the channels on the TV while Fox walked over to Fara. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking over her shoulder.  
"Making sure that Pepper doesn't disturb us. The security logs will show us wandering in here, so I'm making a few changes to make it look like we never left the medical bay."  
Fox shook his head, displeased what she was doing. "I don't think you should be doing that."  
"I know I shouldn't be doing this," she replied with a giggle. "That hasn't stopped me before, nor will it stop me now."  
"Guys, take a look at this," said Slippy, trying to get everyone's attention as he sat on the floor next to the TV. "We've made the news on just about every station this thing gets."  
Falco groaned, wondering why the toad could do nothing but restate the obvious. "Did you expect otherwise, frog face? We only saved the galaxy from total destruction by beating down Andross' troops."  
Peppy looked over from his reclining chair as he said tiredly, "Will you kids keep it down? Unlike the rest of you, I'm trying to sleep over here."  
Fara turned off the screen and stood up, unsteady on her feet for a moment. "I'm done over here. Slippy, if you would throw me the remote, I'll set the TV to wake us up at, oh, say noon or so. If that's okay with you guys."  
"Sounds good," said Fox.  
She made a few adjustments on the remote and put it down on a nearby table. She proceeded to walk over to an empty couch and practically fell into it. "Night guys," she said with a yawn.  
Fox found a recliner and sat down, listening as the breathing patterns of his team slowed as they dozed off. Worried he wouldn't be able to do the same, he sat back and closed his eyes, sleep overtaking him within minutes.

Meanwhile, over on Venom, Andross was absolutely fuming about the loss of his battleship. He had assembled his three military advisors and was currently yelling at them, trying to find some answers. "How did those pitiful creatures stop us at our finest hour? You said that Corneria had no military force!"  
"I'm s-sorry, sir," stammered one nondescript lizard. "Our spies—"  
"Your spies are worthless!" interrupted Andross, pounding his fists on the table. "Ships like that don't pop up overnight and neither do the pilots needed to fly such craft!"  
"Sir," started another lizard quietly, trying to get Andross cooled down. "We've gone over the transmissions the Vengeance sent us. The craft seem to be called Arwings, and they are fighters of incredible speed and agility. Even when they were overwhelmed by our fighters in sheer numbers we couldn't do any kind of damage."  
Presented with calm, rational thought, Andross sat down and quieted. "What about that explosive weapon they used at the end?"  
The third advisor spoke up, looking through his datapad as he talked. "We have very little knowledge of what they fired at the Vengeance, sir, other than it was a weapon of amazing firepower."  
Andross couldn't believe he was hearing this. A world so behind in the technological era as far as weaponry went and they had this bomb of unimaginable destructive power, as well as craft to launch them from. "Any chance of our ships being able to defend or counter that weapon?"  
"Without additional information on the weapon itself, not likely. We need to get more data on the weapon, either by acquiring some technical specs or it needs to be used somewhere where we can scan and watch the weapon's entire lifespan."  
He glared back at his first advisor as he continued. "What do your spies say about there being more of these Arwings? What are their plans of counterattack?"  
The lizard looked nervous as he replied. "Judging by how I've never heard of these craft before, sir, either they are very well hidden or there are only the five ships. As for their plans, we've never been able to get a spy into the military base at Corneria. Their security is so tight we simply can't get anyone in, and all attempts at bribery have failed so far."  
Andross looked like he was going to lose his temper again, but he restrained himself with much difficulty. The second advisor spoke to cover the silence. "Keep in mind, sir, that we took down one of their Arwings already."  
"By sheer luck," sneered the ape. "Even I could tell that those two pilots were blinded by the sun. Does anyone know who the pilots are?" The three lizards shook their heads after a moment. "Then I think it's time you find out, along with the answers to all my other questions. Get out of my sight, all of you."  
Andross watched as the three lizards quickly left the room. He sighed as the door closed behind them, saying to himself, "Why must I be surrounded by such incompetence…"

Noon quickly came for the five sleeping pilots, the plasma TV kicking in as expected, waking everyone quickly. A female news announcer was talking as the screen powered up. "With no response yet from General Pepper, even this long after the incident, one has to wonder if he or the pilots under his command are hiding some—" With a click the screen turned off, the team looking over at Fara, who currently held the remote.  
She shook her head, waving the device around angrily. "Damned media. Not exactly what I wanted to wake up to."  
Falco yawned. "No kidding."  
"Can we get room service over here?" asked Slippy, covering his own yawn with a paw.  
"Talk about lazy. Can't even get up and get your own food."  
"Not lazy, just comfortable."  
"I can agree with that," said Peppy from his own seat, settling the argument.  
Fara laughed. "Sorry, only the bigwigs upstairs get delivery. Then again we do have the honor of the mess hall being on our floor."  
Peppy stood up and stretched. "No comments from you, Fox?"  
The team was surprised at the silence. Falco was closest to his chair, so after a glance he found out the reason. "How nice, our glorious leader is still asleep. Doesn't he realize we're all starving?"  
"So, feathered brains admits he's hungry as well," ragged Slippy.  
"Shut up, scale face, or you're going to get it."  
Ignoring the verbal fight, Fara walked behind Fox's chair. "Well, I'm just as hungry as you are, so I'll get him up." She placed her paws on his shoulders and after bending over slightly, looked straight into his face, giving him a quick shake. "Time to get up, sleepyhead."  
The vulpine woke up with a jerk, his face showing a shocked expression for only a moment as he looked into Fara's upside-down face. He composed himself quickly, but not before the whole team was laughing as his expense. "Welcome back to the land of the awake," giggled Fara.  
Fox groaned for a moment as he shook off the last remnants of sleep. He looked up into Fara's smiling face and asked, "Did you have to do that?"  
She grinned in response. "It got you up, didn't it?"  
"Yeah it did, I guess." He looked over his teammates whom were all staring back at him. "What do you guys want anyway?"  
Peppy spoke up first. "Well, Fox, we woke you up to see if you wanted the honor of joining us for lunch."  
Fara smirked. "And if you say no we'll go without you as we're all starving."  
"Since you put it so nicely, I guess I'll have to join you." Fox pushed himself out of the chair, breaking out into a huge yawn as he stood up. "Don't wait for me. I'll catch up to you in a second."  
Falco looked around the room, and upon noticing that nobody was leaving just shrugged his shoulders and walked out. Fox yawned again and made shooing motions with his paws. "Go on, I'll be right out." The team finally took his suggestion and wandered out, the vulpine following shortly thereafter.


	13. The Unrelenting Media

This header is dedicated to those of you who are still keeping an eye out on my fic here, and to those of you who are commenting about it. It makes my writing days far easier knowing that somebody out there is enjoying this. As always, reviews are gladly accepted. Now on to the story.  
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**Chapter 13: The Unrelenting Media**  
_I never liked the media. They always seemed like such buffoons whenever I watched the news. I just wish I could go back to bed instead._ - Fox 

Fox arrived at the mess hall not too long after his team, surprised to see them standing near the entrance instead of sitting and eating. He was about to ask why when he noticed the General blocking their way. Falco was arguing with Pepper as he got within earshot. "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? For the last time, we are going in to eat!"  
Fox walked up behind Falco and tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention. "I'll deal with this." Looking at Pepper, he asked, "What's going on, General?"  
Pepper looked pleased to see Fox. "Good, Junior, you're finally up and about. Now that you're here we can continue with the debriefing I tried to start many an hour ago."  
"See," said Falco, "this is what we've had to put up with ever since we got here."  
Fox motioned for the avian to quiet down as he thought of something to say. "General, I have a hunch on what this debriefing entails, and we are not going through it until we have food in our stomachs. Unlike you, we haven't eaten at all since last night."  
Pepper shook his head. "Junior, you have to look at it from my position. The media—"  
"The heck with the media!" interjected Falco. "I'm—"  
"Falco!" growled Fox as he spun to look at his teammate. Composing himself, he turned back around, noticing Fara sneaking off into the mess hall. "I know the media are being a pain, General, but we are going to eat, and that is final. I could always give a call to the medics…"  
Fox could tell from the look in Pepper's eyes that he had won. "General, look, I promise we'll make this quick, okay? I just want something in my stomach before we face the wrath of the media." Pepper thought about what was said then nodded and walked off, leaving the team in peace.  
"Sheesh," muttered Falco. "The things you have to do around here to get a damned meal."  
Lunch was a quiet affair, most of the staff having already eaten by the time the crew got a chance to sit down. The few that were still there cheered as they entered, but they went back to eating afterward, leaving the team in relative peace. Knowing that the dinner in their honor was only a few hours away, the team only grabbed enough to settle their stomachs.  
Fara was already seated and munching on her snack when they came over. She waved at the guys as they approached, waiting for them to sit down before she said, "Took you long enough."  
Fox laughed. "Nice little trick of yours – let us chat with the General while you wander off and fill your stomach."  
She shrugged. "Sorry guys, I was hungry. Besides, incase you couldn't fight Pepper off, I was prepared to pick up a few things for you all."  
"Or at least that's what you say anyway," grumbled Falco.  
Fox was in the middle of chewing or else he would have gotten another reprimand from him. Peppy took over instead. "Look, Falco, we have no reason at all to lie to each other. We're all in the same boat in the end. You should know that by now."  
The vulpine had other things on his mind as he said, "So, we're going to talk to the media. Just how I wanted to continue the day. Anyone have any suggestions on how best to deal with them?"  
"Not talk to them at all," stated Fara flatly.  
The team laughed for a moment with Fox quieting down and continuing the discussion first, knowing her response wasn't an option. "Unfortunately, we've been out of contact with most of the system for the last year and a half, and we haven't dealt with the media, much less any kind of television at all. Any serious suggestions, Fara?"  
While she thought of an answer, Slippy groaned. "I'm just nervous. Being in front of all those people, all harassing you for a simple answer…"  
"Don't be nervous, Slippy," reassured Fara. "There's a media room upstairs where the only thing you see is a bunch of monitors showing the news stations around the planet. You don't deal with people head-on anymore, at least not here anyway."  
"That's a relief."  
"Besides, Slippy," said Fox with a grin, "something tells me Pepper and I will be doing all the talking, so you don't have to worry at all. Just look good for the camera."  
Falco dropped his fork down on his empty plate as he said, "Good. I don't want to talk to them anyway."  
Fox smiled. "Falco, I don't want you to talk to the media. That's the last thing we need."  
"Yeah, Pepper doesn't like you much already," joked Slippy. "The only thing worse would be the entire planet hating you."  
Falco made a move to smack the toad but Fox held him back as usual. Peppy groaned as he watched the two. "Why can't you two just be normal to each other? I've never remembered this many problems back on Papetoon."  
Slippy and Falco grumbled quietly at each other when Fox butted in. "You know the answer as well as I do, Peppy. They both knew that I would throw them out if they kept on fighting back home."  
Fara giggled. "Sounds like you four had a fun life on Papetoon."  
"You don't know the half of it," said Fox with a laugh. "Let's finish up and get this over with."

A short few minutes later found the Starfox team in the control room talking with the General. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you five," said Pepper as the team approached him.  
Gary looked over from where he sat over at the communications terminal, headset over one ear. "That makes two of us."  
Fox noticed an exhausted look in Gary's eyes and grew concerned. "Gary, you look worn out. Is Pepper running you ragged again? Or are we that understaffed here?"  
The cheetah shook his head tiredly. "A far different story unfortunately."  
Pepper walked over and said, "Care to explain? I'll make the necessary calls."  
"Sure," he nodded, passing over the headset. Moving over to an adjacent chair, he began his explanation. "See, there's quite a bit more to this war than just fighting it. The media for example – they and the local populace want to be informed constantly on what is going on."  
"The people must always be knowledgeable of the truth or else misinformation and confusion occur across the entire planet," commented Peppy.  
Gary rolled his eyes at the hare's reasoning. "Something like that. In this instance however, since war was never a popular opinion, the media and the populace demand an explanation."  
"Which explains the news clip we saw when we woke up at noon," stated Fara thoughtfully.  
The cheetah nodded. "Depending on which one you mean, exactly." Fox wandered away from the group, thinking to himself. "What's on your mind, Fox?"  
He turned around, looking unhappy. "I just find it rather odd that we go out here and save the planet and the media puts out what we've seen."  
"You haven't seen or heard half of it."  
"Damned fools," grumbled Falco under his breath.  
Peppy sighed, hearing the comment and another unusual sound in the control room. Tracing it down he said, "So am I assuming correctly that's why I'm hearing what I think I'm hearing coming from your fellow staff member over there?"  
Gary grew concerned before looking at whom Peppy was indicating. Turning back around he looked glum. "Good hearing. As you've probably guessed, communications is not one of my many job qualifications. Our officer just couldn't take much more of what she'd been hearing." He dropped his head and sighed. "Poor Celine…"  
Fox made a guess over what Peppy was talking about and had already walked over to the lynx's station where she sat with her head buried in her arms. Ducking down to eye level he asked kindly, "What's wrong?"  
Celine pulled her head up and looked at Fox wearily. The fur around her eyes was wet and matted, making it evident that she had been crying. She tried to say something but failed, plopping her head back down, pushing a datapad like the one Peppy used to read the paper with over to him.  
He stood back up, glancing through the device as he did so. Fox's expression quickly turned to one of shock as he read. "Is this true?" he asked.  
The lynx nodded. "What's on the pad?" questioned Gary and Peppy simultaneously.  
Fox ignored the questions, continuing to read the datapad instead. He grew increasingly stunned as he scrolled through the list. "That's it," he growled as he finished. "It's time I have a little chat with the so called media."  
Those familiar with the vulpine's ways noticed his change in attitude instantly. "Oh boy," commented Slippy quietly. "He looks pissed again."  
"You're damned right I'm pissed," grumbled Fox, having overheard the comment.   
"Now I have to go to this media conference," said Falco with a grin.  
Peppy quickly tried to calm the vulpine down. "Fox, you can't go ballistic on planetary television. What could possibly be in that pad that has you so upset?"  
"You do not want to know. Since these are for the most part directed at the team or myself, I have to respond."  
Fara looked confused, having not known Fox for years like the rest of his team. "Is there anything we can to do to help? We're all going to be there, aren't we?"  
Slippy interrupted whatever the vulpine was going to say by motioning her away from the group to explain. "Fara, don't take this the wrong way, but you don't know Fox like we do. Normally he's a real nice friendly guy, but…let's just say that there are times where he gets pushed over the edge."  
"Lovely."  
They watched Fox stomp over to the General as he continued. "If we're lucky, Peppy will calm him down like he usually does. If not—"  
"If not this will be the most entertaining interview that Corneria has ever seen?"  
"That might be one way to put it. Fox's temper is something that you do not want to experience firsthand. And I didn't tell you that either."  
Fara giggled. "Noted and understood."  
The team watched as Fox and Pepper had a chat out of earshot. It was clear that the General was not pleased at the pilot's sudden change in attitude, but within a minute Fox relented, walking back to the group. Pepper said a few words to the team. "Time to get this over with. Oh, and Junior?"  
"Yes?"  
"You'll be doing most of the talking, so remember that you represent myself along with the entire base. In other words, try not to get them too mad, okay?"  
Fox laughed, a good sign that he had reverted to his normal self. "If you insist. I make no guarantees though."  
Pepper and Gary lead the team off to what looked to be a very interesting meeting.

With little fanfare the team arrived at their destination. "Our meeting room, ladies and gentlemen," said Pepper. "This room was originally designed to hold conferences with people and facilities all over the planet and the system. Unfortunately, due to a lack of planets and people to contact thanks to Andross' interference, this room hasn't gotten much use lately."  
"In other words," said Gary with a grin plastered on his face, "we hope this place still works."  
The room had a feel of disuse as they looked around. A large table in the center of the room sported two computer terminals and enough room to seat four comfortably. A total of 24 smaller screens were seen on the wall facing the desk, and three larger monitors were underneath those. Three cameras were focused on the desk from around the room, allowing ample coverage to anyone watching. A small table with a lone computer out of the camera's view allowed someone to monitor and control what everyone saw.  
"Nice room," commented Fox as he looked around, ignoring the dust floating around as it was disturbed from its resting areas. "One problem though – only four chairs."  
"I had a feeling," said Gary. "Be right back." Fox remained standing as the rest of the team sat, moving their seats so he would be in the middle.  
The cheetah quickly returned, armed with a chair that he placed in the opening. He then took his position over by the computer and powered it up. The screens at the front of the room turned on one by one, each monitor showing an interviewer with their station identification in the corner. The three larger screens stayed blank however as Gary pondered out loud, "Now which stations should I put on? Anybody have any preferences?"  
Due to a lack of watching television in the last year and a half, most of the Starfox team had little input. Noticing the silence, Fara decided to speak her mind. "Well, they're all creeps if you ask me, but you might as well put on the big three here in the area – CNN, CPN, and LGN."  
"Good choices." He fiddled with the controls, announcing the stations as they appeared. "Cornerian National News, Cornerian Planetary News, and Lylat Galaxy Network. You'll be able to see what they're talking about at the bottom of the screens as something tells me you don't want to listen to them while talking."  
Fox scanned the monitors, looking through the interviewers and making mental notes as he glanced at the datapad he was still holding. Noticing a few of the smaller screens were still blank, he asked, "Only 19 news stations on the planet, Gary?"  
He nodded. "Yup." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Are we ready everyone? The stations are anxiously awaiting us to begin." A round of agreement reached his ears as Pepper moved behind the team. "Okay then. Pepper, you'll be on in 5, 4, 3…" He quieted, indicating that they were transmitting with a wave of his paw. The larger monitors changed to one of Pepper's upper body as they tuned into the signal.  
"Good afternoon," started the General. "My name is General Pepper, commander of the Cornerian Military Base here on Corneria. As you all are no doubt aware, a small altercation happened between our base and Andross' forces earlier this morning. No doubt this came as a surprise to all of you, as not only did we not know about the attack until it was upon us, but because most of you don't realize that there is much of any kind of military protection on your planet."  
The canine took a deep breath before continuing. "Now, before you all start wondering, I have to let you know that yes, we did win the battle. Because of us, this is the only reason why you aren't watching a transmission from Andross instead of myself right now. The five pilots sitting down in front of me wiped out Andross' attacking fleet of one battleship and 85 fighters. Without them, and the latest in military technology, all of the Lylat system would have been lost to that maniacal ape by now."  
Gary adjusted the cameras, showing off the five seated pilots as well as the General. "Something tells me that you'll be more interested in listening to what our pilots have to say instead of myself, so let me introduce you to them." Pepper started at one side and worked his way down, pointing to each pilot as he went, skipping over Fox on the first pass. "Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Fara Phoenix, Slippy Toad, and finally the team leader, Fox McCloud."

On the other side of the system, Andross watched the presentation as well, the transmission being sent his way through one of his spies on the planet. His advisors were gathered around him, all seated around the now cracked table. The ape sat back with a grin on his face. "Now we'll finally get to see the fools who think they can stand against us."  
His grin vanished instantly, replaced by pure, livid hatred as Pepper presented the pilots. Staring at the advisor that was overseeing his covert activities all over the system with murderous eyes, he said quietly, "Unless I'm mistaken, that vixen there was supposed to be in my clutches a few days ago. Instead, she's a pilot. And I see that the damnable son of McCloud is one of them as well."  
He lost all control as he stood up with a roar, slamming his fists into the table again. With a resounding crack the table split into two, each half falling onto the floor with a thud. Barely able to contain his temper, he growled, "I want to know why!"  
The lizard stuttered and stammered, not having any kind of answer to give. With two giant steps Andross was at the lizard's seat, yanking him out of the chair by his neck. The lizard gasped for breath as he squeezed on its windpipe. "You worthless beast," muttered the ape almost silently. "You're fired." With a yell he tossed the lizard across the room, his head connecting with the wall with a crack. The other advisors instantly knew he was dead and realized that their lives would be next.  
Instead, the ape calmed down somewhat as the deceased lizard crumpled to the ground. Pointing at the two advisors left alive in the room, he said menacingly, "Get out of here, before I change my mind about you two." The lizards quickly scampered out of the room, fighting with each other for a moment to get out of the room first. An armed guard noticed only the pair leaving and walked in, noticing the dead body immediately. Without a word he picked up the corpse and left, leaving Andross alone once again.

Back on Corneria, Fox stood up and began his speech. "Thank you, General. While I think that he might be overstating our abilities a tad, I do have to admit that I have a very talented team gathered here around me. Their skill, and the military might of the Arwing space fighter that we were granted to use, was what this planet needed to fight back against Andross' threat of conquest. I also need to tell everyone right now that we fully intend to press our advantage and recover all the planets that are rightfully ours. We will not stop until the Lylat system is ours once again."  
Fox remained standing as he glanced through the datapad again, looking far more serious than he was moments ago. "Now, before I turn this session over to the media, I have to say a few things to them. However, what I am going to say does not affect all 19 stations that are currently running here on the planet, but I will not be naming names either, so consider this a warning to those instead. So, I say this – we've all been up since 5am this morning, if not earlier. We've put quite a bit of time into training in these Arwing fighters, so we were tired before today rolled around. Add all that into the battle we just came from…"  
He let his statement drop as he waved around the pad for attention. "Once we arrived back home, none of us were in the mood to have our mugs shown around the planet. Personally, I don't think any one of you wanted to see us in the condition we were in. We looked like we just returned from a war." He grinned at his own joke before going on, his face turning stolid once more. "Needless to say we just about dropped dead and slept until noon, and now you are watching us in a far better light, and more than able to answer the questions that will be coming our way momentarily."  
Fox pointed to the pad as he continued. "Unfortunately, the media here believed in getting an instant response from the base here and from us. While thankfully most of you accepted that we were not in the mood to talk at that moment, some of you were, shall we say, abusive to our communications officer who knew only what she had been told. Sitting right here…"  
The group noticed that the signal from CPN suddenly cut out, only to be replaced by one of their reporters. He continued as if nothing happened as Pepper walked over to Gary. "…is a list of the stations that wouldn't take no for an answer. Like I said, I am not giving out names as that would cause quite a ratings riot here on Corneria. But there are enough of you to make me have to say something about it."  
As Fox talked, Pepper and Gary were having a quiet chat off-camera. "They cut the signal on their end," said Gary.  
"Are you sure?" asked Pepper. The cheetah nodded. "Kill our transmission entirely from them, and put something on the screen to tell Junior what you did. I think he'll get the point quickly."  
"You know they'll just pull the signal from another station."  
The General smiled. "And with every channel showing their own station logos in the corner, won't that look a tad unusual. Just make sure you put the station back up on the screen when they do that. I think Junior will make a point of it in his little speech."  
Gary punched a few keys on the keyboard. "Done and done."  
"Thanks."  
Meanwhile, Fox was finishing up on his speech. "So basically guys and gals, if you're told that we, or the base, are not currently in the mood to talk to you, please honor our request. Fighting a war is not exactly the easiest thing in the world. We're only mortal, and need simple things like food and sleep just like the rest of you." Having run out of things to say, he sat back down. Reading the words that Gary put on the monitor where CPN used to be showing the chat, he continued. "Now it's time for you to ask the questions. All stations, indicate if you have a question, and I'll pick you out of the list."  
The group watched as the reporter from CPN grew rather nervous, now realizing that his station had been cut off from the base's transmission. Fox ignored the reporter and picked one of the stations at random. "LBN, you're first."  
"What exactly is the Arwing fighter? We've seen no references to it in any military database."  
Pepper fielded the question as he walked back into the camera's view. "For a good reason. The Arwing is an atmospheric and space superiority fighter that has just finished the testing phase of production. We've been working on the design and construction of the craft since just after Andross began his attacks about a year and a half ago. They came online just in time to defend Corneria against his final assault on our freedom." He quieted, indicating that he was done speaking.  
Fox chose the next station, which was CNN. "Do you have any footage of these Arwings in action, of the battle, or of the destruction they caused?"  
Pepper looked over to Gary who indicated the answer based on what he knew before responding. "I'll take those in reverse order actually. What should be appearing about now is a live shot from where the battleship and its remaining fighter compliment at the time were destroyed." The footage along the bottom changed showing the wreckage in the early afternoon sunlight. The team was even more impressed now that they could see for the first time how destructive the Nova Bombs were in proper lighting. There was clearly nothing left but debris.  
Pleased with what he as seeing, he continued. "As for footage of the craft in action, unfortunately we didn't have any other ships in the area to film them fighting for their lives. On top of that, that information is basically classified, as who knows what Andross could learn if he could analyze it."  
Fox noticed that CPN had come back online again, taking the footage as expected from another station, trying their best to cover up the logo in the corner. While the cameras were still showing the wreckage, he told Pepper to restore their transmission to the station. Gary did as the vulpine suggested, putting the camera focus back on him as well. "By the way, real quick, nice to see you back on the air CPN. Sorry to see that you had a bit of technical difficulties back there. You might want to get that looked at. LGN, next question."  
The reporter looked worried as he asked away. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you have to know the general opinion of the war and Andross. Why did you decide to something about it now?"  
Fox motioned to Pepper that he would take this question. "How best to answer this… Back when the fights were just beginning, the government here believed that Andross would just go away if left to his own devices. Fighting against him was considered out of the question. You were branded a rebel if you disagreed. Myself, and most of my team for that matter, believed in fighting back."  
He indicated the members of his team that he had spent some time with beforehand before continuing. "In doing so, we found ourselves exiled to Papetoon. Let me tell you this – you have no idea what it is like on an occupied planet. Andross is stripping the planets dry of everything they have for his war effort. He has the planet working as slaves to get what he needs. It's terrible. Trust me on this."  
Pepper picked another station out of the list as Fox turned quiet for a moment. "So now we know a bit of history about most of the team. What about you, Fara Phoenix?"  
Fara smiled, pleased to talk about her family. "Certainly. My father runs General Avionics, the biggest manufacturing plant of spacecraft on the planet. I've been a test pilot of his designs for most of my life now, which got me into the Arwing project from the beginning."  
Fox chose another station at random. "Another unusual question for you. I recognize the McCloud name, and now know about Ms. Phoenix, but the other three are relatively unknown people. Why did you choose them as your pilots?"  
Pepper smiled as he answered. "Unfortunately most of the details are classified, but the Arwing fighter is far from your average spacecraft. I actually took a chance with McCloud and his companions however, as I had basically ran out of local pilots to test out the craft. His scores, and the scores of his teammates, were fantastic from back at their academy days, and I ultimately hoped that they would transfer well to a completely different type of fighter. Thankfully I guessed well."  
"What are your plans as to which sector or planet you'll be going to next?"  
Fox took the answer. "As far as I know of, we're not sure yet. Or, if someone knows of a plan, I haven't been told about it anyway." A few of the media laughed at Fox's humor. "You'll find out as soon as we do. Although you'll more than likely find out after we've taken back the area in question. It comes as more of a surprise against Andross' forces that way."  
Picking another news station, the discussion continued. "How many Arwing fighters do you have currently in operation? Any chance of seeing more of them before the war is over?"  
Fox and Pepper looked at each other for a moment, debating on who should answer. The General finally spoke up. "We currently have four Arwing fighters. There was a fifth craft, but unfortunately it was shot down in its first battle. Odds are that we won't be able to replace it anytime soon due to a total lack of funding in the military budget."  
Fox added his own comments as well. "Don't worry everyone. Four Arwings are more than enough to win this war. I give you my word on that."  
As the camera panned back to the General in preparation of the next question, Fox yawned suddenly, followed by Falco. He took this as a sign to end the discussion, so he said, "I think it's time to finish this interview for the time being. We will keep you informed as to our progress, and you're welcome to send questions our way."  
"Just remember to keep them decent," said Fox as he jumped in. "We're just as mortal as the rest of you are, so don't expect an answer right away as well. Keep in mind that we have a job to do, and that comes first."  
Pepper ended the conversation by saying, "I thank you all for allowing us to explain ourselves by telling you what we are doing here. As long as this base stands we will do everything we can to restore freedom to the Lylat system. On that you have our word. This is General Pepper, signing off."   
Gary waved to the group. "We're off the air. Nice work everyone."  
Fox slumped back into his chair with a sigh. "Thank goodness."  
Fara laughed. "Why are you complaining? It's not like the entire planet was watching or something."  
Gary was looking at his terminal as he commented, "Actually, Fara, I beg to differ."  
"I'm joking, you silly." She paused and looked around the room. "So, guys, what's on the agenda for the rest of the day?"  
"I don't know about all of you," said Fox, "But I'm in need of something relaxing. And sleeping just isn't going to cut it his time around. Any ideas?"  
"I've found that a good book is always a wonderful way to relax," said Peppy.  
"Spending some time at the local arcade here is my recommendation," commented Slippy.  
"While the arcade we have is quite fun," said Fara, "I personally find that the pool and spa a few floors down are a wonderful way to relax after a long day."  
"The spa?" questioned Falco. "Bah. Weapons training is where the fun is, Fox."  
"Are you afraid to get your feathers wet, Falco?" joked Slippy.  
"Shut up, scale-face."  
Pepper shook his head. "You know, you two are going to get in trouble one of these days over your bickering."  
The avian looked over with a glare. "Quiet you—"  
The General pointed a finger at Falco, silencing him instantly. "I do not think you want to finish that sentence, mister."  
Fox stood up, realizing that he needed to get his team's mind onto other things before everything turned ugly. "Team, I believe it's time we get out of here. General, I thank you for this most entertaining opportunity to see the media from this side of things. We'll see you tonight at dinner."   
Fox gathered his team and left the room, pausing right outside to have a group chat. "Everyone, you're on your own until tonight. Let's meet at my place again a few minutes beforehand. Go and enjoy yourselves." He watched as the team split, all headed off to some destination. "Falco, hold on a second."  
Falco turned around, a tired look on his eyes. "Yeah, Fox?"  
Fox debated on how to reprimand his teammate, finally deciding to say, "Falco, look, I know you're as tired as the rest of us right now. But you know as well as everyone else that you can not talk back to the General like that."  
"But—"  
He cut him off with a wave of his paw. "No excuses, Falco. If you do something like that to Slippy, or the rest of us, we take it in stride. It's your nature, and we know it. Well, everyone short of Fara anyway, but that's not the point."  
Falco laughed. "She'll learn soon enough."  
Fox nodded in response. "Everyone learns your mannerisms rather quickly. However, you just can't have that kind of attitude with our boss. It will get you in more trouble than it's worth."  
"I know." Falco tried to change the subject. "So, Fox, when are you going to ask Fara…" He smiled as he left the end of his sentence open to speculation.  
"Falco!" exclaimed Fox.  
"Well, she's rather cute. And she is your type."  
Fox couldn't believe he was hearing this. "You don't even know what my type is!"  
Falco smirked. "Oh really. I've seen you eying her from time to time."  
The vulpine decided to end this line of thought quickly, as he knew there was no chance of him getting together with Fara thanks to their drastic differences. "Falco, we've all known her for a single day now. And contrary to your opinion, I have far more important things to keep in mind right now."  
"Sure you do," he joked. "Remember what you said after we saved her on that transport?"  
Fox sighed. "Either believe me or not, it doesn't matter as far as I'm concerned."  
"Fine then." Falco turned to leave. "I'll see you later."  
"Don't forget what I said."  
"Yeah, yeah."  
Fox stood in the hallway, watching as his teammate rounded the corner and left. His mind now a jumble of thoughts thanks to Falco's antics, it took him some time to come to a conclusion on how to spend the rest of his afternoon off.


	14. More Than Meets the Eye

Sorry for the delay on this chapter, but I'm in the process of trying to do some rewrites on what I've already posted. It's come to my attention that I can do far better than what you've seen so far. It's just quite a bit of work. As for the story itself, the action will kick in again fully very shortly.  
----------   
  
  
**Chapter 14: More Than Meets the Eye**  
_Always being bossed around some days. It's really getting annoying. At least the combat is intense. I don't know why Fox doesn't even want to look Fara though. He needs to calm down somehow before he blows._ - Falco 

"Well, this looks familiar."  
The time was a few minutes before 5pm, and Falco and Fara were conversing outside of Fox's room. "Is Fox as prompt as the General is usually?" asked Fara with a grin.  
"No," replied Falco. "Actually, this is unlike him." He knocked on the door again, making sure that the vulpine wasn't in.  
"Well, he's got to be around here somewhere. Or he's sound asleep inside."  
"Who knows." Falco leaned up against the wall, attempting to get comfortable. "If our leader thinks that I'm going to wait on him, he has another thing coming."  
Fara laughed. "And I thought Slippy paid too much attention to his stomach."  
Falco cursed under his breath. "That damned toad—" The door to Slippy's room opened up, shutting him up instantly as he stepped out.  
"Afternoon, Slippy," said Fara with a smile. "We were just talking about you."  
Slippy's eyes narrowed as he stared at the avian. "Knowing Falco, nothing too kind."  
The avian shook his head. "I didn't get that far yet. Give me a few minutes and I'll think something up."  
"Why are you two at each other's throats all the time?" asked Fara.  
"Ask him," they replied simultaneously.  
"Okay then," she groaned, "I guess I won't find out from you." She looked down the hall, noticing Peppy walking their way, a book in one paw. "Afternoon, Peppy."  
Peppy nodded. "Afternoon, everyone. I'll be right back. I need to drop this off." The door to his room opened, the hare vanishing inside for only a moment before returning. "Why are you all out here? Where's Fox?"  
"We were hoping you knew," said Falco.  
"Sorry, I haven't seen him all afternoon."  
"Well, if he doesn't come shortly, I'm going without him."  
"Thinking with your stomach again?" teased Slippy.  
Falco raised his fists menacingly. "Shut up, toad, or you're getting it."  
Peppy stepped between the two quickly, stopping the fight before they thought about taking it further. "What's with you two? You've been at each other's throats a lot more than usual lately."  
Fara, having been pondering the same question, suddenly came to an answer. "Peppy, you think it might be because of them getting shot down in the simulators?"  
The hare's eyes widened. "You know, my dear, you might be right." His gaze drifted to the other two. "Do you guys wish to say something about this?"  
Before any explanation could be given, Fara noticed their missing commander walking their way, an oversized towel hanging over one arm. "Afternoon, Fox," she said.  
"Hello everyone," said Fox cheerfully, waving his free paw. "Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything?"  
"No," said Falco tersely, glancing over at Peppy to keep him quiet. He hoped he took the hint. "Where have you been?"  
"I took Fara's suggestion and spent too much time relaxing in the spa. Thanks for a wonderful idea by the way."  
Fara smiled. "Glad I could help."  
He walked over to his room, the door opening with a swish. "I'll be out in a minute."  
The rest of the team watched as the door closed behind Fox. Peppy turned towards the two guys and said, "We'll finish this conversation later tonight as I think an explanation is in order. The last thing we need is you two fighting each other instead of Andross' forces."  
Falco and Slippy glared at each other for a moment, but said nothing. The door to Fox's room opened not too long afterward, revealing the team's commander once again. "I have only one thing to say to you all before we leave," he said. "Enjoy yourselves, but remember that we go back to work again tomorrow morning. While I haven't heard anything yet, something tells me that Pepper wants us to counterattack as soon as possible."  
"The usual words of wisdom," said Peppy. "Shall we eat?"  
"Yes, let's go." The team walked off to the mess hall, the thoughts of a good meal lifting everyone's spirits.

As expected, dinner was an entertaining affair for the team. Almost the entire base was on hand, all wanting to congratulate the group for their defense of the planet. Much cheering was heard and speeches were exchanged. Finally the team was left in relative peace to enjoy their meal.  
Falco sat back in his chair, swishing around the liquid in the glass he was holding. "Sheesh. Long-winded speeches like that can drive a bird to drink."  
Fox grinned as he had another sip out of his glass. "Ah, Falco. Just let them enjoy themselves for a night."  
A concerned look passed over the avian's face for a moment, not sure he had just heard what was said. "That's a sudden change in your attitude from earlier. Did Peppy's blabbering finally sink in or something?"  
"Sort of. I understand why they're doing it, but I don't necessarily like it."  
Peppy laughed from across the table. "And that's what I've been trying to get through to you all this time, Fox. My work here is done."  
He smiled back. "So, old hare, if a day passes by where you can't teach someone something new, was that day a waste to you?"  
The hare waved a finger in a mocking gesture. "My secrets will follow me to the grave. You youngins wouldn't understand my ways anyway."  
Fara smiled as she told him, "You know, you keep making yourself sound older and older every time you say something like that."  
"My dear, I'm only as old as I think I am."  
Slippy looked serious as he commented, "So then, does that make you 70 or 80?" The table broke into laughter, Peppy looking hurt for a moment before joining in.  
"You know, Peppy," said Fox, "you did ask for it after saying that."  
"I realized my mistake after I said it unfortunately."  
"Sorry, old friend, but you make mistakes so rarely that we have to jump on every opportunity." He quieted as took another sip of his drink.  
"It seems they like you," said Fara.  
"It's their way of showing how much they appreciate me after all the years I've put into helping them."  
Fox put down his glass and smirked. "I wouldn't put it quite that way, but close enough."  
It was at that moment that the team noticed Pepper walking over to their table. Quieting down, Fox gave a quick wave to the general as he reached the group. "Evening, Pepper. What brings you to our table?"  
"Are you looking for some salt?" asked Fara jokingly before he could respond.  
Pepper stopped and groaned as he realized the joke. Glancing her way he said, "Very funny, Fara." He looked back to Fox as he continued. "Anyway, Junior, I'm just here to say that I need to see you all when you are done here."  
"Tomorrow's plans?" asked Fox. Pepper just nodded as he turned and walked away. "I'll take that as yes then." Looking around to the rest of his team he continued. "Enjoy the rest of your meal everyone, as it looks like things are going to get interesting."  
"Explore strange new worlds and shoot down everything defending them," said Fara with a laugh.  
"Sounds like my type of plan," commented Falco.  
"The joy of war," said Peppy. "Never thought of it as a way to get out and explore the galaxy."  
"Any idea how well the rest of the planets will be defended?" asked Slippy.  
Fox shook his head. "No idea, but it would be nice to know. Attacking a planet blindly is not my idea of a fun time."  
"Not to mention a bad tactical plan," mentioned Fara.  
"That too." Fox looked around at the empty plates sitting by his teammates. "Well, it looks like we're all finished. Let's go see what Pepper wants." The team all agreed so with one last cheer from the crowd the Starfox team left to find the General.

It wasn't long before the team, Pepper, and Gary, were gathered upstairs in the command center. The room was vacant of other people short of a male bobcat who was told to take a break as the group entered. "Only one person watches over everything?" asked Fox as he wandered over to one of the windows to look out into the evening sky.  
"This time of day, yes," replied Gary. "Everything gets rather quiet once night falls here."  
"Which is a good thing if I had to make a guess due to lack of staff."  
Gary laughed. "Right on the nose."  
"Anyway," said Pepper loudly, getting everyone's attention, "it's time to explain why I called you up here." He pointed to the lone computer along one wall as he continued. "This single computer is top secret. Nobody knows its true purpose short of a very limited group."  
"Which will now include you five," said Gary as he sat down at the terminal.  
"Well this piques my interest," said Fara with a grin, her ears popping up in excitement. "What does it do?"  
Pepper glared at Fara. "Nothing you can't get into."  
She looked hurt. "What did I say?"  
"You know very well what I mean, Ms. Phoenix." The General looked over the rest of the team as he continued. "As you may or not know, we have a number of probes scattered around the system. The public knows about them, but they aren't fully informed about their use."  
Gary took over the conversation as he powered up the computer. "See, the public thinks they are early warning devices for galactic intruders. In actuality, they are spy satellites."  
Falco laughed, not as surprised to hear what was said verses the rest of the team. "So the honorable good guys are spying on the entire system without anyone knowing." He looked over to their commander as he continued. "Are you sure we're on the right side, Fox?"  
"Falco…" groaned the vulpine. "Is there a good reason for these devices, Gary? I find it highly suspicious that you two have the ability to spy on others without one heck of an explanation."  
"But of course. Originally they were used to watch over the planetary shipping lanes. Keep an eye out for pirate activity and such. After the troubles with Andross started however, they quietly got a few upgrades. Now they have the ability to watch over anything in a rather large area."  
He sighed. It wasn't much of a reason, but he doubted he'd get anything else other than that for an answer. "So, how does this benefit us exactly?"  
"Simple. It gives us a plan of attack and allows us to know what opposition you are looking at."  
"At least that makes some sense. Where do we go first?"  
"That's what we're still trying to figure out exactly."  
"If we had the ability, Junior," said Pepper, "I'd send you directly towards Venom to get this over with. Unfortunately, the Arwings just don't have that kind of fuel capacity, and I don't dare leave a supply ship out there undefended."  
"So we just start with the closest planets and work our way out then," suggested Peppy.  
After typing a few passwords into the computer, a chart of the system appeared onscreen. Gary moved his chair over so everybody could watch. "It isn't that easy however. Not only do we have the planets to take back, but also there are a number of sectors that Andross' troops are hiding in. We'll have to take them out as well."  
The General continued the conversation as Gary pointed out items of interest. "It is our opinion that we send you to the two closest sectors, both of which are asteroid fields. The closest one here is a mining operation by the local Miner's Guild, and the other is where we used to have a small outpost, titled Sector X."  
"Who fell asleep when they named that place?" joked Falco.  
"Don't ask," grumbled Gary.  
"As I was saying," continued Pepper, upset at being interrupted, "with those two places cleared of opposition, you should be able to proceed farther out without worry of being attacked from behind."  
"Sounds like a plan," said Fox. "Any objections or questions guys?"  
Slippy was closest to the monitor, watching the details scroll by listing what was in both sectors. One unusual reading showed up suddenly, the screen changing to display what it found. "Yeah, what's that?" he asked.  
The group all looked back to the screen as no one else had seen what the toad saw. Gary fiddled with the controls as he talked. "Well, isn't this interesting."  
"Don't keep us in suspense you two," said Fox, suddenly worried. "Care to tell the rest of us what you've found?"  
"That's the problem, unfortunately. The asteroids in the area are blocking too much of the scans to give an accurate reading. There is something big there, that much I can tell."  
"Another battleship?" suggested Falco.  
Gary shook his head. "I just don't know."  
Fox sighed, hating how nothing ever seemed easy when he was around. "Lovely. What kind of general opposition are we looking at in both places?"  
"Not much at either location, but the sector where that unidentified ship is has more activity."  
"Noted. Team, we'll hit the lesser occupied sector first then, and hope that Gary can figure out what we're going to be flying against before we get there."  
"That sounds like the usual McCloud plan," muttered Falco. "Charging recklessly in, hoping we don't get killed."  
Peppy smiled as he thought of a saying. "The joys of going through the unknown, with little more than our usual luck watching over us."  
Falco shook his head in confusion. "I don't get it."  
"Don't worry, Falco," said Fox with a grin, "Neither do most of us."  
Peppy laughed to himself for a moment. "Pepper, do you ever have a problem with the younger population and their lack of respect for you?"  
The General looked serious as he answered. "No. Then again I do outrank everyone, and if they disrespect me, they know that they'll face my wrath."  
The room broke into laughter for a moment, some of it forced due to them not knowing if they should test what Pepper just said. He smiled suddenly and said, "Sorry, I just had to say that. Gary, anything else of interest to report?"  
"Not really. There are ships of varying quantities all over the system, but no other reports of anything larger than a fighter that I can see."  
"Good. Unless you have further questions, you are dismissed."  
Fara spoke up. "Same question as yesterday actually. Any updates on the Nova Bombs?"  
Pepper shook his head. "Sorry, no. The engineers are staying quiet after their last attempted fix."  
"Great," muttered Fara, tired of basically hearing the same answer over and over again. "I'll have to have a little chat with them later."  
Fox looked surprised. "You know the engineers for the Arwings?"  
The vixen laughed, surprised to see that he didn't know the answer to that question already. "When you've been flying their creations for longer than you can remember, you tend to know the names of everyone personally. It makes it easier to yell at them when they screw up something big-time."  
"It sounds like you've had a most interesting time being a test pilot," said Fox, wondering what she might have done during her career.  
"Yes, yes I have." She turned away from the group as she answered, Fox wondering as to why.  
"That she has," muttered Gary.  
Fara turned around and stared at the cheetah, her arms on her hips in anger. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"  
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the whole thing. "Nothing. Forget I ever said anything."  
"Yeah, whatever," she said with a glare. "Come on guys, let's get out of here."  
Having nothing more to say, the team wandered out, Fox staying behind a moment to see if he would get an explanation. Finding one wasn't forthcoming, he left as well, hurrying to catch his teammates.

Fox found the rest of his team waiting for him down the hallway, everyone silent as they watched their commander approach. He noticed the unusual quiet quickly, commenting about it as well. "Is something wrong with you all?" The silence continued, everyone staring at someone else for a moment. "Now I know that something is up."  
He stood there looking over his team, his tail swishing from side to side as he debated on who to have another chat with. He could tell that Peppy wanted to talk with him, but he had other concerns on his mind at that moment. "Guys, you're on your own tonight. Based on past history, I'm guessing we'll get paged come 8am or so tomorrow, so go have some fun." He paused for a moment, looking in Fara's direction. "Fara, could I have a word with you?"  
From behind her Falco broke into a huge grin. Fox ignored his teammate's look as she approached and the rest of the team split. "What do you need, Fox?"  
"You have a few minutes?"  
Fara nodded. "Yeah." Looking back at the command center for a moment she continued. "Care to talk somewhere a tad more privately?"  
"Afraid the boss is going to stumble in while you're insulting him?"  
She laughed in response. "Something like that."  
Fox gestured ahead of him. "Lead on."  
The two remained quiet as they worked their way down to the first floor. "Ah, the Botanical Gardens," she said happily as they approached their destination.  
"You spend quite a bit of time here, don't you?" asked Fox.  
The doors to the gardens opened before them, admitting the two pilots. It was nearly dusk outside, the lights along the path turning on one by one as they entered, brightening the area with their dull glow. Fara walked in and spun around, a large smile on her face. "Yeah, I love this place. It's so calm and peaceful. A drastic difference from the rest of the base."  
Fox smiled as well, watching as Fara changed from her semi-serious self to a carefree youth in a matter of moments. After removing her gloves and tucking them into a pocket, she ran over to the same tree she was perched on earlier that morning, jumped up, grabbed the lowest branch, and swung herself up to a seated position upon it. "I can see you like this place," he said.  
She giggled, brushing her paws together to clean them off. "I tend to spend most of my free time either here or in my quarters."  
Fox sat down on a nearby bench and asked, "Why's that?"  
"Privacy for the most part. This base is a very secure location, but you give up quite a bit of privacy in doing so. Everything you do is basically monitored."  
Fox looked surprised. "Really? Do explain."  
Fara turned herself around on the tree branch so that she sat back against the trunk. "As you already know, most of the hallways and major areas are watched over by security cameras. Most doorways have detection devices built in that show when you go through them. So, basically anyone knows when you enter or leave your room, but they don't know what goes on inside as that's one of the few places where there isn't anything installed."  
Fox nodded. "That's why you like your room and here so much."  
"Exactly. I understand their need for the setup, but it doesn't mean that I like it."  
"How do they know who's coming and going then?"  
"Your jacket. Or to be more specific, the small badge that has the base logo on it. Inside is a small chip that the scanners detect. That, along with your pawprint, gets you into the base and secured places like your rooms."  
Fox sighed. "So they watch us everywhere. What if I want to leave this place and not reveal to the planet who I work for?"  
"Tired of the base life already?" she asked with a laugh. "If you are so inclined, they'll give you an ID card that has the same set of information encoded on it." She paused for a moment, realizing something. "That's an odd question to ask though."  
Fox had a confused look on his face. "Why's that?"  
"Well, for starters, you guys aren't official citizens of Corneria anymore. Remember that little exile thing some time ago?"  
He groaned, not wanting to be reminded of his current position. "Just a simple question and nothing more. And a problem that will be easily fixed when we win this war." He sat back on the bench, trying to find a more comfortable spot as he debated on what question to ask next. "If I may ask, what's life like as a test pilot?"  
Fara looked puzzled for a moment, looking down at the vulpine. "Interested in my life history already, Fox? Or is there something else I should know?"  
Fox shook his head. While she was a gorgeous vixen as far as he was concerned, now was not the time to think about it. "No, no. I find it easier to talk to my teammates when I know a bit about their past. Knowledge is power or something like that as Peppy would say."  
She giggled. "Ah yes, Peppy and his little proverbs." She closed her eyes for a moment debating on how to respond to Fox's query. "Well, let me put it this way - what did your father do most of his life?"  
The vulpine almost looked insulted as he answered the question. "He was an honored military pilot of course. He spent most of his time in the skies."  
"That he was. Now, imagine instead of just flying missions, you had to write a report about every little thing you noticed about your craft. Things like how it controlled, how it flew, how it felt, things like that. It explains my job rather well."  
"Sounds like…" Fox paused for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Sounds like a most entertaining job."  
She laughed, remembering how much fun she thought it would be when she started. "Entertaining my tail. Sure, it's fun flying around in something that nobody else has ever flown before, but the paperwork is boring as heck."  
Fox grinned. "Remind me to never switch to your line of work." It took a few seconds before he figured out his next question, spending the time looking out into the night sky. "Had any interesting things happen to you while testing the Arwings? Ever wrecked one of the test craft?"  
Fara went quiet suddenly, her smile vanishing off her face. He sat there, not knowing if he should press the question when she finally answered. "Yeah, I had one of the craft wrecked. It wasn't my fault at all though." She closed her eyes and went silent again.  
He remained quiet for a bit and debated on changing the subject, but his curiosity was piqued. "If you don't mind, Fara, care to explain?"  
The vixen pulled up her legs and rested her arms and head on her knees. Turning her head so she was looking at Fox, she opened her eyes and began her story, as much as she didn't want to retell it. "It's a horrible fact about being a test pilot – despite all the precautions, despite all the safety, there's a chance of being killed. I almost ended up as another statistic."  
She grew quiet again, waiting to see if Fox would say anything. But he was staying silent, letting her explain. "The testing on the flight capabilities of the Arwing was completed. The next thing on the list was the weapons and defensive systems. Unfortunately, something went horribly wrong. See, back then the Nova Bombs were physical bombs, along the line of a nuclear bomb without any of the environmental devastation."  
"Interesting," said Fox. "I was wondering if the name meant something as the weapon isn't a bomb in the true sense of the word."  
She nodded. "Yup, that's it. The Arwing was fully loaded - lots of fuel, armed weapons, three Nova Bombs. Part of the test that day was live laser fire against the shields of the craft in outer space. Ultimately, sometime during the test the shields suddenly failed. Before they could abort the test and before I could fly out of there, a single shot punched though part of the armor around the storage location of the Nova Bombs."  
Fox's eyes grew huge in shock as he made a guess on what happened next. Fara nodded at his reaction, expecting nothing less. "As one would expect, the bombs detonated in their holders, vaporizing my craft. The safety systems detected the impending explosion and ejected the cockpit, but I didn't escape the blast fully. Just about every console blew, sending sparks flying everywhere against the protective suit I was wearing. I knew I had been injured and probably burned, but I couldn't tell the extent because I was still strapped in what was left of my cockpit."  
He sat there, breathless at the account of Fara's tale. "Wow," he finally said.  
She continued her story, oblivious of his comments, lost in her own thoughts. "It took them twenty minutes to finally find what was left of my ship. Twenty horrifying minutes in the deafening silence of space. They treated me as best as they could, but it wasn't until I was back at the base did anyone find out how badly I was injured. My suit was literally peeled from my body, and I was basically dumped into the regen tanks at the medical bay here."  
"What regen tanks?" asked Fox with a confusing look, interrupting her story.  
Fara blinked a few times, realizing that he had asked a question instead of keeping quiet. She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. "Back in the medical bay, remember the two cylindrical tubes in the center of the room?"  
"Yeah."  
"Those can be filled with a compound of sorts that greatly speeds healing of any exterior injuries, and helps somewhat with internal ones. But with only one side effect." She shuddered suddenly. "Whatever gets immersed in the stuff gets paralyzed as well due to the immense strains it's putting your body through."  
She continued quietly, Fox straining to hear what was said. "It's a horrible thing to have happen to you, not being able to move at all. My head was the only part of me that wasn't in the stuff, but what is there for you to do at 2am with nobody around once you've woken up from the sleeping drugs they've put into you?" She shuddered again. "I was going stir crazy in there. Couldn't move, couldn't feel my body, couldn't sleep. I was in there for 21 hours total…" She drifted off into silence again, closing her eyes as she remembered what happened.  
"Fara," said Fox quietly, trying to get her attention, worried that he'd dug up some memories that might have been better off staying buried. "Fara," he said again, more insistent this time, getting ready to stand up and move closer to her to see if it would help.  
She looked his direction, a startled look on her face for a moment as her mind focused on what was around her. "Sorry," she finally said, turning away in embarrassment.  
"What for?" he asked kindly.  
She looked back at Fox. "I know you didn't want to hear me blabbering about all the details of—"  
He interrupted her with a wave of his paw. "No, Fara, I don't mind in the slightest." He smiled her way, trying to show that he was honest about what he'd said. "It's good to let yourself go like that. It completes the healing process."  
She giggled softly. "You sound like Peppy."  
"Yeah, I guess the mannerisms of the old hare tend to rub off on you after a while. Anyway, I have one last question if you don't mind."  
Fara stretched, breaking into a yawn before responding, the last remnants of her prior experiences fading away. "Sure, ask away."  
"It's come to my attention that you and the boss don't see eye to eye on some things if you get my drift. He does a good job hiding it, but we've all seen a few moments where he was snapping at you as badly as he does Falco."  
"You've noticed as well?" she replied with a grin.  
He grinned back. "It's kinda hard to miss."  
After making a quick check to ensure of their privacy, she answered. "I guess you can call it a love/hate relationship. We tolerate each other, but not much more. See, after my little incident, I was out of action by the medic's and my request for four days. Needless to say, things get boring rather quickly when all you can basically do is sit around."  
Fox had a good guess as to where this story was going to head, but he kept quiet for the time being. "I consider myself pretty good on the computer, and I decided to keep myself occupied by using it to its fullest. Ultimately, I worked myself into the security system of the base."  
He smiled, pleased that his guess had been correct. "I had a feeling you were going to say that."  
Fara held up her paws in mock innocence. "It's not my fault that there isn't anything to do around here when you find yourself cooped up in your room all day. Besides, it kept my mind occupied, and I could watch what was going on in the rest of the base. The only other thing I did was talk to the engineering staff about a few changes that were going to be made on the Arwings."  
"The Nova Bombs," stated Fox.  
"Exactly. To put it bluntly, I refused to fly them unless they were removed. Needless to say, that caused a bit of an uproar with everybody, especially Pepper."  
"I take it he thought that the then current design could be improved on, right?"  
Fara nodded, thinking back to the days in question. "Him and most of the engineering staff. Only a few people understood that it was foolish to carry extremely volatile weapons on a craft that's designed to get shot at. Oh, the arguments that were heard around my room on those days I had off."  
"Sounds like you had a blast." Fox winced, realizing what he had just said. "Sorry, poor choice of words."  
Fara closed her eyes and sighed. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, after looking through a dozen designs for protecting the Nova Bombs and tossing out every one of them due to either flaws or the act of slowing down the launch dramatically, they caved in. Unfortunately, it changed the Arwing's classification completely from a fighter/bomber to just a fighter."  
"That could not have made the higher-ups happy."  
She laughed. "No kidding. The Arwing was designed to take down fighter and carrier class craft, and the loss of the Nova Bombs hurt that image severely. Once I got back in the cockpit however, luck ended up on our side. I was flying around, making sure the engineering staff didn't mess anything up with my new Arwing, when I chanced upon a small bundle of minerals sticking out of the ground. Wanting to test the blasters I opened fire, my jaw dropping in shock as the rocks exploded with far more force than they should of."  
"The new Nova Bombs, right?"  
"More or less. It took some doing from the engineering staff and the scientists we have access to, but eventually they determined that it would make a suitable replacement to the Nova Bombs, and they would be far less explosive." She frowned for a moment before continuing. "As you've clearly seen though, there are still problems with the whole thing."  
"I hope they get it fixed. They are extremely powerful."  
She sighed. "I know. It just takes so much power to fire. If only we could get the engines to output more power. Or if we could disable any other systems during the charging stage to get everything back online faster…" She quieted down, thinking to herself.  
Fox stayed quiet as well for a bit, enjoying the view as he sat there and looked around. He looked up again as he prepared to asked one last question. "Fara, I have yet another thing to ask, and then I'll be off as I clearly see you have other things on your mind."  
She looked down from where she was perched and laughed. "As long as the answer doesn't end up as long as your other last question, sure."  
"Why were you on that transport? You know, the one where we ran into each other for the first time."  
Fara smiled. "Finally, something easy. Anyway, my father and I, along with the backing of Pepper and his staff, decided to see if there was anything we could do to help the occupied planets. Not only were we delivering supplies, but we were to pick up anybody we could get our paws on in the off chance that they could be pilots for the Arwing project."  
"We hit Katina first, dropped off some supplies to the rebellion groups there, and picked up quite a few people. Afterwards, as you already know, we landed on Papetoon long enough to acquire a few more passengers. After we launched, the lizards attacked. Nobody knew where they came from, or even which planet we picked them up at."  
"You also didn't know that you had picked up us four either," said Fox with a grin.  
She nodded. "Thank goodness you were there. We were never told that we would have you as uninvited guests, and I had no way of knowing that I was the lizards' target. If you hadn't shown up, I fear to think what might have happened to me."  
"Nobody comes to harm while I'm around if I can help it. It's too bad you couldn't return the favor and let us know you were part of the Arwing project once we got into it."  
Fara shook her head. "Sorry, I was forbidden by Pepper to say anything to you guys until he felt it was the right time. He got mad enough as it is when he found out that I was watching your performance the entire time in the simulators, so I dread what might of happened if I talked to you four."  
Fox grinned. "You did leave that little message for me after our first test. And I have to assume that you've been watching us as we wandered around the base since we got here, right?"  
"Is Peppy psychic or something?" she asked with a giggle. "I've never seen anyone act so antsy like that while being watched through a security camera."  
"Possibly. He's said a few things out of the blue that have helped us during our time on Papetoon. We've learned to trust him whenever he says something odd."  
"Most interesting." She grinned as she continued. "By the way, you did almost run into me when you wandered into the gardens on your first day. Fortunately for me though you aren't all that observant."  
Fox stood up. "Thanks for the compliment, I think." Stretching, he looked around the darkened garden once more, his gaze coming to rest on Fara. "Thanks for the talk. Just remember to stay in Pepper's good graces. Don't forget that he is your boss, and if you wish to stay a member of this team, you'll need to keep that in mind."  
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.  
"You sound so much like Falco it's eerie," he said with a grin.  
"Gee, thanks." With one swift motion Fara sprung to her feet, jumped off the branch she was sitting on, spun around in midair to grab hold of the branch, and then used her momentum to swing around, vault off, and land perfectly a few feet away from Fox.  
Once again he was impressed with the vixen's acrobatic skills. "Most amazing display once more. Ever thought about switching to a safer career in acrobatics or something?"  
She giggled as she brushed herself off. "Na. Besides, these skills come in handy when flying. I can think up some crazy dodge maneuvers when in the air."  
"Stunt flying then perhaps when this war is over?"  
"Possibly. Being a test pilot would be safer though in my opinion."  
Fox began walking towards the exit. "From what you've told me, I highly doubt that. Oh well, see you tomorrow. Good luck with the engineers."  
Fara answered as she followed. "Thanks. I'll need it."  
The two pilots went their separate ways, each pleased that they had this conversation.


	15. The War Continues

Another week, another update. The holiday is trying to put a damper on my writing, but I won't let that happen. One last note - I'm trying to solidify my character's thoughts and actions in this, and future, chapters, so if they seem a bit different to you, that's why. Now to just go back and re-edit everything.  
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**Chapter 15: The War Continues**  
_I never knew that Fara had such an interesting life behind her. Flying experimental craft is something I'd never want to do though. Oh, wait, I already am. _ – Fox  
_I wonder what the point was to that little meeting of Fox's? It was nice to talk for a bit, but if he thinks that was a date he has another thing coming._ – Fara 

  
The rest of the night was quiet for McCloud and his team, as was the following morning. As expected, Pepper called everyone to his office early the next day. The Starfox team eagerly responded, ready for yet another day of combat.  
Once again the team found themselves in the General's drab white office without Pepper himself there. "This is looking to be a common occurrence," muttered Falco.  
"He'll be here soon enough," said Fox as he looked over his team. Slippy and Peppy were drinking some freshly brewed coffee, the aroma perking everyone up in the room. Falco and Fara were sitting idly by, awaiting Pepper's entrance.  
The team didn't have to wait long this time as the canine walked in shortly thereafter, carrying his own cup of coffee in one paw. "Good morning, pilots," he said. The team returned the greeting as the General sat down. He retrieved the remote from his desk drawer and after activating the screen behind him, began the briefing.  
"What you are looking at is footage from the miners as they first traveled through this asteroid field. Littered with minerals, it is a perfect place to gather much needed resources. As you can see, however, it's rather dangerous for general travel. Gary's best estimates are 50 to 100 fighters scattered throughout the region."  
"Pretty rough estimate there, General," commented Fox. "Does the Guild have any presence there currently?"  
Pepper took a sip of his drink and then shook his head. "No, Junior, no presence by the Guild right now. Just try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. As for the number of fighters, the rocks are playing havoc with our satellites, so reports are sketchy."  
Fox nodded. "Okay. Anything else?"  
The General pushed a button on his remote, changing the footage to a different location. "Afterwards, your next objective is to clear out Sector X." Falco snickered for a moment but kept quiet. "Yet another asteroid littered sector, but this one isn't used by the guild much due to a lack of useable minerals. Best guess is another 50 to 100 fighters spread around."  
"This is where Slippy noticed the anomalous reading, correct?"  
Pepper nodded. "Exactly. Unfortunately, Gary has had no luck in figuring out what he saw. There definitely is something out there though, so be careful."  
"Noted and understood." Fox looked Fara's direction and asked, "Fara, any luck with the engineers last night?"  
She sighed. "None at all. We simply have no ideas on how to reduce the power needed for firing off the Nova Bombs."  
"Damn," cursed Falco. "Such an amazing weapon that we can't use without nearly killing ourselves in the process."  
"Falco, quiet," muttered Fox. Looking back to Pepper he continued. "Are we done here, General?"  
Pepper took another sip of his coffee. "Yes. Good luck, Starfox team."  
"Thanks. Come on crew." Everyone stood up and prepared to leave.  
"Mind if I watch from the control room?" asked Fara suddenly.  
The canine nodded as he stood up. "Certainly. You're welcome anytime."  
The team left the room, the door silently shutting behind them. They turned and walked off towards the nearest elevator, Fox striking up a conversation in the meantime. "Fara, I do believe we've found a possible solution to the Nova Bombs."  
She turned, her furred ears perking up in surprise. "Oh really? Do tell."  
"I'll let someone else explain as technical details are not my thing."  
Peppy spoke up from the back of the group. "Fox, Slippy, and I have been talking a bit this morning. We think we've found a way around the problem, just not a true solution."  
Falco grumbled from up front. "What, kept me out of the loop again?"  
Fox grinned. "Falco, you know that you're no good with electronics. Then again, it's not my area either. Let's get the Arwings ready while they chat." The avian nodded and they walked off, leaving the three other pilots alone.  
Fara watched the two leave before turning back to the others. "I'm all ears."  
Slippy started the discussion. "Are we correct in saying that the problems are caused because the Nova Bombs require most of the power that the plasma engine produces?"  
She nodded. "Roughly a 4.8 second delay while the crystal absorbs the power needed to fire a controlled blast."  
"And what if you cut the charge time short?" asked Peppy.  
"The whole thing dissipates through the launcher system, firing either a greatly weakened charge or nothing at all. The crystal operates in a non-linear fashion the more power you put into it, which makes little sense scientifically. An oddity we've never solved."  
"Okay," said Slippy with a nod. "Ever thought about putting in a secondary generator for the purpose of just firing off the Nova Bombs?"  
Fara shook her head. "The space required for something like that is not feasible for a small craft like the Arwing."  
"Makes sense," commented Peppy. "What about installing capacitors near the launcher system so you could charge up a Nova Bomb when you're able to spare the power?"  
Fara inhaled, ready to give her response when she stopped. She stood there, debating on the question, her facial expression changing rapidly as she thought through what they'd suggested. Finally she broke out into a huge smile as she said, "You know, that sounds so simple it might actually work. I could hug you both for that idea."  
"It's our pleasure to help," said Peppy with a smirk.  
She continued with her train of thought, walking around the hallway and thinking aloud. "I can't believe that nobody else thought of this. This should work." She paused and looked up. "Which one of you thought of this anyway?"  
The pilots looked at each other for a moment, Peppy answering the question. "Believe it or not, Fox actually brought up the idea. We just revised it a tad so it made sense."  
Slippy laughed. "Fox's grasp of the technological is poor at best. He can fly like no other can, just don't let him explain how his craft works."  
Peppy nodded in agreement. "Falco's understanding is even less in that area. Fortunately, they are both excellent pilots."  
"That they are," commented Fara. "If you would excuse me, I have a few things to discuss with our engineering staff. Tell Fox thanks for me."  
"We will," said the hare. "Come on, Slippy." With a wave the pilots went their respective directions.

  
Fox and Falco were looking over their Arwings when the others approached. "What took you so long?" asked Fox.  
"Contrary to your opinion," said Peppy, "it's quite difficult to explain what you had suggested."  
The vulpine smiled, glad he could help. "So you told Fara then. What did she think?"  
"She thinks that your idea just might work. We'll see what comes of it."  
"Good job." Fox looked over his team, ready for action. "We have a mission to do. Let's fly."   
The pilots walked off to their Arwings, Falco staying behind for a moment. "Fox, what was that about? Getting in good graces with Fara finally?"  
Fox turned around and shook his head. "I've told you my opinion already, Falco. If you must know, I think we've just solved the problems with the Nova Bombs."  
The avian looked pleased for once. "Really? Nice work if I do say so myself."  
Fox laughed. "Thank me when they finally work, not before then. We'll see if it actually pans out." He turned and pointed to his Arwing. "Come on, let's get out of here."  
The four pilots assembled inside their Arwings, awaiting confirmation to launch from the control center. Their delay wasn't long once they were ready. "Starfox team, this is control. It's a clear morning outside the base, and your flight plan has been transmitted into your computers. You're clear to launch."  
"Roger," said Fox, taking command as usual. "You heard him team, time to get out there and do some damage." The Arwings powered up and blasted down the launch tunnel, the engineering staff watching them from the safety of a side room, hoping for the best.

  
"Ah, outer space," said Peppy some time later. The team had spent the last few minutes traveling through the blackness of space, and they were talking amongst themselves to keep occupied. "Such a wondrous thing to just gaze at."  
"I don't know about you," muttered Falco, "but it looks like a whole lot of nothing to me."  
"You're not looking at the big picture, my avian friend."  
"Yeah, actually I am. I have a pretty big window in front of me, as do you."  
Fox laughed, his voice echoing oddly over the headsets the team wore. "Quiet down you two. I'm trying to get some sleep up here."  
"Our great leader is sleeping at a time like this?" joked Falco.  
"Oh, hush. It's not like I have anything else to do. Just sit back and enjoy the ride."  
Fox's computer lit up as the chatter quieted, telling him that Peppy was trying to contact him privately. "Fox, you have a minute?" he asked.  
"I always have time for your thoughts," he replied, concerned over his friend's need for a private chat. "What's up?"  
"Nothing to be worried about, just something I need to tell you."  
The vulpine sat there a moment, his gaze wandering to the many stars visible from his position. "I'm listening."  
"While you were talking with Fara last night, I had a meeting with the rest of the team. You've noticed the little altercations between Falco and Slippy, right?"  
Fox laughed. "They are rather difficult to miss."  
"No kidding. Well, it almost came to blows yesterday, so I decided to intervene and find out what was the cause of it."  
"That had to be a most interesting conversation."  
"That's putting it nicely." Peppy thought back through the chat he had last night. He smiled as he remembered that he had to stop only two fight attempts from the pair. He'd expected more. "After a long, drawn-out battle, I finally dragged the answer out of them."  
"Built up tension from the house rule I set up on Papetoon of 'keep it civil or get out'?"  
Peppy snickered. "Nothing of the sort, but rather close. Remember the final simulator test a few days ago?"  
Fox realized what his friend was getting at. "You've got to be kidding me."  
"Nope."  
The vulpine cursed silently. "I knew that shooting at each other wasn't a good idea. We've always worked together as a team, not against each other."  
Peppy sighed. "I know. I thought that they wouldn't take it so seriously, but in the end they kept harassing each other about how the other was shot down."  
"Lovely. Did you get everything solved between them?"  
"I think so. At least I didn't see any problems this morning."  
"Good work Peppy. Always looking out for the team."  
"Thanks. By the way, I didn't tell you any of this."  
Fox laughed, remembering how many other quarrels the hare had solved in the past without telling anyone else about them. "As always." Pleased at the resolution, he sat back in his seat and readied himself for the mission they were rapidly approaching.

  
"Okay guys, we're here. We have a mission to do, so let's get to it." The Starfox team had arrived at their first destination, and Fox was giving out a few reminders before combat. "Slow down to a more comfortable cruising speed, and try to keep damage to a minimum to the asteroids."  
The general emptiness of space quickly changed to one littered with asteroids of all shapes and sizes. Ranging in size of less than a foot across to monstrosities the size of Corneria Base, it would definitely be a challenge to maneuver while engaging in combat.  
The team slowed down, following behind Fox's Arwing as best they could as he constantly weaved around asteroids in his path. "Watch yourselves," he said.  
Falco swerved away from an oncoming rock, quickly returning to formation. "Tell us something we don't know."  
"Okay then. How well would our shields will hold up against a collision with one of these things?"  
Slippy chimed in with what he knew. "It depends on the mass and size of the asteroid in question. Point one out and I'll give you my best guess."  
Fox laughed. "On second thought, how about we just stick with my original plan of avoiding the things."  
"An acceptable request," commented Peppy.  
The vulpine dodged around another tumbling rock. "I wonder if we get hazard pay—" He quieted down as an alarm sounded, indicating that his sensors detected hostile craft nearby. "We've got baddies in the area. Quiet down and let's take it to them."  
"Finally, a plan I like," said Falco energetically.  
The four Arwings boosted off, eager to engage in combat.

  
Fox and the rest of his team were having an easy time at their mission, despite the hazards the surroundings provided. Unlike the day before, these lizards had little military training and made easy targets for the pilots' blasters. Noticing this, Falco let his comments be known. "These guys aren't even putting up a fight!"  
"I've noticed," said Fox, spinning around to take aim at another target. "This worries me."  
Another fighter detonated from the avian's expert shots. "Why? Just enjoy the easy target practice and don't complain about it."  
Peppy expertly took aim and caused another fighter to explode, lighting up the blackness of space for a moment. "What Fox means is that considering that this area is right next door to Corneria…" He paused, spinning out of the way of some desperate incoming fire. "One would think that there would be some better guards here."  
"I guess Andross never expected anyone to actually attack the places he had conquered."  
Fox easily destroyed the final fighter in the group they were engaging, a burnt wing tumbling off from the explosion he caused. "I think you're right, Falco, but for all the wrong reasons." Looking around for another target, he continued. "Anybody see anything else?" A round of negatives came back to him, short of one pilot. "Slippy, you see something?"  
"I've spotted something unusual, but I'm not quite sure what yet."  
"Odd. Lead on."  
The four Arwings approached what looked to be a very large, plain asteroid. It easily eclipsed the size of the base, and looked like it could contain the entire downtown section of Corneria with space to spare. Fox looked at the object looming in front of him and glanced down at his computer readout once again. "I don't see anything of importance about this, Slippy. Care to explain?"  
"I detected what looked to be some kind of power signal coming from near here. Give me a minute and I'll recheck my readings."  
"Okay. Falco, follow me. Let's explore this hunk of rock. Guys, yell if you need anything."  
The two pilots boosted around the exterior of the huge asteroid while Peppy ran off an analysis of it. "This is a surprisingly large rock sitting in the middle of this asteroid field. Content includes many minerals that could be used back on Corneria, so this is off limits to us as far as blowing it up."  
Fox laughed. "Which is a good thing as it looks a tad too big to take down with our blasters."  
"Funny. This asteroid looks to be generating its own minor gravity well, which seems to be keeping the rest of this asteroid field from drifting off over time."  
Peering around, Fox tried to find anything interesting on the asteroid's surface. He continued to investigate as Slippy came on over the com. "Fox, I've detected the power source again. It seems to be near…" The communication dissolved into static without warning, worrying him immensely.  
"Slippy? Peppy, you there?" He looked down at his computer screen, checking his sensor readings. The other two Arwings had vanished from his sensors, but Falco's ship was still behind him, so at least he wasn't totally alone. Fox was about to contact him when the avian called instead.  
"Fox, I think we have much bigger problems."  
The vulpine looked up, staring in awe at what he saw. Being built on the side of the asteroid they were coming upon was what looked to be some kind of large weapons platform, in a strange cross-shaped design. More than half of it looked to be finished, and the other half had its structure fully built. He sat there and watched as workers swarmed around the other side, getting out of the way of the approaching craft.  
He also noticed that the half that was completed was operational as a dozen turrets began tracking his Arwing. Within moments they fired, lighting up the blackness of space. "Retreat!" he yelled, weaving his way through the laser fire as he attempted a hasty withdrawal.  
Despite his skillful maneuvers, Fox continued to take hit after hit as there was simply too much firepower to dodge. Alarms blared as his shields threatened to collapse from the strain. Boosters flaring brightly, he finally found himself around enough of the asteroid that he was no longer in danger.  
Slowing his craft down, he changed his focus to make sure he didn't hit any of the smaller rocks while his shields were weakened. "Where the hell did that come from?"  
The avian made skillful loops around Fox's craft, making visual checks to ensure that nobody jumped them. "I have no damn idea. How's the Arwing?"  
"The shields held thankfully, but not by much." He sighed. "You know that we're going to have to take that thing down, right?"  
"I can't wait. Too bad we can't use the Nova Bombs. Looks to be exactly what they were made for."  
His shields having regenerated to 50%, Fox sped up, trying to get back to where they left their teammates. The brass won't let us do that. We'd waste the asteroid."  
Falco swung his Arwing into formation alongside Fox's craft. "Who cares? It's only a bunch of minerals."  
"Enough to keep the manufacturing plants running for an entire year or at least." He tried to contact his other two pilots again. "Peppy, Slippy, are you there?" Once again, he was met with nothing but static.   
"I don't like this."  
"Neither do I. Come on." Kicking in his boosters, Fox sped off towards his missing teammates, Falco following close behind.

  
Their questions were left unanswered when they arrived back where they separated just minutes ago. "Well, this isn't good," muttered Fox. "These rocks are messing with my scans too much to make anything out. See anything, Falco?"  
The avian skillfully looped past the nearby asteroids, looking for any debris incase something happened to the craft. "Nothing. If they were shot down, their Arwings disintegrated completely."  
"No, they're still out there somewhere. Otherwise I wouldn't be getting static when I try to raise them."  
"Good point. Hopefully—" He stopped mid-sentence, sounding much more concerned when he came back on. "Oh crap, we have incoming!"  
Cursing silently at his teammate's yells, Fox moved his Arwing into position, awaiting Falco's return. He was not expecting the number of craft headed his way however. "Where'd you bring that army from?" he joked, boosting off to intercept. "I count 32 on your tail."  
"I don't know," replied a harried avian. "And these guys know how to fight." With expert precision, he flew straight at an oncoming asteroid, swerving out of the way a moment before impact. The group behind him didn't react as quickly however, two craft crashing and exploding while the rest scattered before reforming. "Well, short of those idiots anyway."  
"Nice. I'm coming straight at you, so be prepared to move in 3, 2, 1." Falco banked hard to the right, giving Fox plenty of room to open fire on the incoming fighters. Much to his surprise, the craft held their formation instead of scattering, allowing him only a few shots before they all retaliated. He quickly got out of the way of their return shots. "Well, that didn't work out."  
"These guys are definitely pros. Or at least they're from a group that is better than your average moron." Falco looped in behind the fighters, firing the entire time and scoring a few hits. Half the group broke off and set their sights his direction, sending him into another loop to avoid the incoming fire.  
"You got half of them off of me at least. Thanks."  
Falco laughed. "You're welcome, I think. Where the hell did Peppy and Slippy get off to?"  
Fox dove to avoid an oncoming asteroid, his shields taking a few hits from the laser fire streaking behind him. "I wish I knew."  
"I hope they show up as I can't fight with this many guys on my rear!"  
"Same here." Fox's Arwing shook again as he took another hit, his shield alarms kicking in once more. "I have an idea."  
The avian continued to weave through the asteroids, doing his best from being shot, but he knew that even he had his limits. "I'm listening."  
"Let's get closer together. When we find a spot crowded with rocks, we'll fly straight at each other. I'm hoping for a few ships to either crash into each other or get shot down as they get into our sights."  
"That sounds so crazy it might actually work. I'm in."  
"Good." Fox spun around once more, avoiding a hail of fire as he searched for a place to put their plan in motion, cursing as he took another hit.  
Falco found a suitable spot before his teammate did however. "I think I found a place. Care to check?"  
"No, I trust your judgment as far as blowing things up goes."  
"Funny. I've sent the location to your computer. Tell me when you get there."  
"I won't be long as this Arwing isn't going to take much more abuse."  
"The great McCloud can't take the pounding from 15 fighters at once?" commented Falco sarcastically, dodging the shots on his tail the best he could.  
"Ha ha. I'm almost there, so let's do this."  
The two Arwings weaved their way towards each other, pouring on the speed as they approached. Boosters glowing brightly, they passed by and started firing at the craft trailing the other. As expected, pandemonium erupted in the asteroid littered area, the hostile fighters crashing into each other or the rocks floating by as they attempted to dodge the firepower blazing around them.  
Fox scanned the wreckage, trying to get an accurate count of how many ships were left as they reformed and continued their assault. "Looks like that cost them nine ships."  
"Nice tactic there. I'm impressed it worked so well."  
"Thanks." He banked hard, avoiding another asteroid as he attempted to get into firing position. "Bring your mob back over here and we'll shoot at them again as we pass."  
"I doubt they'll fall for that again."  
"True, but it's the easiest way to get off a shot."  
Any further discussion of tactics was halted as a static filled voice broke into their chat. "This…Peppy…You near…"  
Fox boosted his communication signal before replying, knowing how the asteroids messed with communications. "Peppy, this is Fox. If you can hear me, track this signal back to its source to find us."  
The channels went quiet again as the two pilots continued their battle, the silence only broken by the occasional words of encouragement. Fox was pleased to see the sudden appearance of the other two Arwings on his radar as the hate came back on the line. "Fox, Peppy here. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."  
"Same here, old friend. Sorry to cut the reunion a tad short, but we're in the middle of combat. Care to help?"  
"After the harassment they gave us a bit ago, definitely. As Falco would put it, it's payback time."  
With the additional firepower, the battle was quickly converted to one in the Arwing's favor. No longer having overwhelming numbers, the enemy fighters exploded one by one, small remains of ships mixing in with the already crowded combat area.  
A cheer was heard from the pilots as the last fighter was crippled beyond flight, the damaged craft spiraling out of control into an asteroid where it finally exploded. "That's one group of damned lizards that won't be irritating us again!" exclaimed Falco.  
Fox laughed, relieved that the battle was over. "Tired of them as much as I was, eh?"  
"Let's just say that I wouldn't invite them to my next party."  
"Funny. Anyway, where did you two get off to? You both were gone when we got back."  
"Not too long after we lost communications," started Peppy, "the fighter group we just defeated ran into us. Outnumbered, outgunned, and without any way of contacting you, we basically ran."  
"A sound plan, unlike ours," joked Fox.  
"Here's the interesting part though. Remember that giant asteroid? There are caves and tunnels drilled all through it. We dove through there, using the fact that the high concentration of minerals disrupted sensors and communications to our advantage."  
"Fortunately the fighters gave up the chase quickly," said Slippy. "I'm glad we didn't have to fight inside there."  
"Sounds like you two had a blast," commented Fox.  
"Not at all. I did track down the location of the power source from earlier though."  
"We actually saw it," muttered Falco, knowing what their next objective would be.  
Slippy sounded excited to hear the answer. "Really? What is it?"  
Fox began to work his way back towards the asteroid in question, the team following. "Under construction on the far side of that rock is some kind of weapons platform."  
"Impressive," said Peppy. "How far along is it?"  
"Enough that it's capable of shooting back with an absurd amount of firepower."  
"Lovely. Any ideas on taking it out?"  
"No. I was too busy being shot at to figure out an attack plan. Although…" Fox quieted down, debating on a few ideas.  
"I can hear that mind of yours working from here, Fox. What are you thinking?"  
"The usual suicidal plan knowing our luck," grumbled Falco.  
Fox laughed. "Not every one of my plans is suicidal and you know it.  
"No, just most of them."  
"You know, Falco, as team leader I would expect some kindness from you. Remember, we've survived this far, none the worse off than we were when we started."  
"Yeah, yeah."  
The team reached the asteroid, the Arwings slowing to a halt as they arrived. "Well, with that out of the way… Slippy, Peppy, any idea how far these tunnels go?"  
Both pilots responded in the negative, with Slippy continuing. "My personal guess is that it goes all the way through, if that's what you're thinking."  
Falco could all ready see Fox's plan ahead of him. "Now wait a moment. You want us three to keep that thing occupied while you work your way through this rock and attack from inside? You're crazy."  
The vulpine sighed tired of the derogatory comments. "It seems that know me a bit too well."  
"Your plans get obvious after a while."  
Peppy laughed. "Unfortunately, Fox, I agree with Falco to a point. We know your ways better than you do some days."  
"Yeah. It's the usual McCloud suicide plan – we keep the thing busy while he takes all the glory."  
Fox shook his head from the confines of his cockpit, knowing that he couldn't be seen. While it was annoying to listen to his team's banter sometimes, he didn't want anyone else but them covering his back. "If you have a better idea, now's the time to make it known. I'm hoping there's some kind of reactor or something I can blow up from inside."  
"Yeah, I do. I say we just launch a Nova Bomb at the thing and say the hell with the collateral damage."  
Fox sighed. "Falco, I already told you that that's out of the question. Besides, that thing would blow you to pieces before you could get one off."  
The avian cursed. "Damn design flaws."  
"We'll have to live with them until they get fixed. Falco, lead the group onward. If you have any problems just bail out. I'll see what I can do from my end."  
"Just keep one thing in mind," said Peppy. "Sensors and communications are next to worthless inside that asteroid. And there isn't all that much maneuvering room either, so watch yourself."  
"Words to live by. You three do the same." The team split, each having an objective in front of them.


	16. Nothing is Ever Easy

No, I haven't forgotten about the readers out there. The holiday hasn't made it easy to keep up with this, unfortunately.  
And to those that asked - the characters from the SF64 universe don't make an appearance in this fic, as this was written long before that game came out.  
----------   
  
  
**Chapter 16: Nothing is Ever Easy**  
_In all my years of working with Fox, I don't think I've ever seen a mission of his go as planned. At least since the war started anyway._ - Peppy 

  
While having a varied family tree behind him, Fox McCloud never knew anyone who mined asteroids for a living. So flying through an asteroid was a completely new experience for him. Fortunately for him, not only did he have some flight training inside confined spaces thanks to Gary's instruction, but as a pilot, he never had problems being claustrophobic.  
He flew through the asteroid as fast as he dared, his single light up front the only source of brightness in the pitch-black confines of rock. The light reflected oddly off the rocky walls, almost as if there was something hiding where his light didn't reach. Every so often his light caught some exposed minerals, reflecting his beam in a colorful array around his rocky confines.   
His computer quietly chirped to itself, the only indication that there was some kind of activity going on around him short of the rocky walls moving past his cockpit. He had set it to map the route he took to wherever he was going, hoping that he would be able to consult it incase he had to get out of there in a hurry. Fortunately so far, there had basically been only a single route to follow. He just hoped it was the right one.  
Fox sat back his seat, his mind beginning to wander. Shaking his head, he quickly brought himself back to the present, knowing that a single mistake on his part would just about guarantee his doom inside the rocky confines as he knew that he wouldn't be able to get a signal out to his team. The communication silence was unnerving however, and he yearned for some kind of noise short of the plasma engine roaring softly beneath him and his computer making its occasional beep.  
He began to wonder if this cave went through the asteroid completely, and if it did, just how long the tunnel was. Just then, a different sound emanated from his computer, indicating that it had detected something other than the rock around him. He rounded one final turn, somewhat impressed at what he saw.  
It was the backside of the weapons platform. And it was still in the early stages of construction.  
With a smile on his face, Fox opened fire with his Arwing's twin blasters, creating scorch marks and holes all along the superstructure. Only a few laser turrets responded to his attack, making him pleased with his choice in travel routes. He continued his assault as Falco noticed his presence. "Nice to see our honorable leader again. What took you so long?"  
"You try flying through what I did quickly. How goes things?"  
"Not too well considering we're attacking a stationary target. I'd hate to see this thing in motion."  
"Agreed." Fox dove away from the platform, going back for another pass. "I don't see any weak points on this thing. How about you?"  
"Slippy's looked, but has had no luck."  
"Okay. Keep me informed. I'll continue my assault from—" Fox's latest pass was back over some areas of the hull he had shot through previously. One set of blaster shots struck something inside the platform that he couldn't see, causing some kind of explosion. A burst of flame erupted out from the hole he created, missing his Arwing by mere feet. "Whoops."  
Falco came closer to their target, looking at the damage they had caused. "Klutz. The guns have stopped though."  
Slippy meanwhile was looking over the data his sensors were reporting to him. With a shock, he realized what was going to happen shortly. "Everyone, get out of there! That thing is going to blow!"  
Falco cursed as he pulled his Arwing into a u-turn, his boosters glowing as he quickly put distance between the platform and himself. Fox on the other hand had a moment's indecision as to if he should return through the asteroid or if he should push his luck and hope that the craft didn't explode before he could fly past it. He quickly made up his mind to just stick with open space and hope that his Arwing was as fast as he thought it was.  
With the throttle fully forward, the vulpine hurtled through space, maneuvering slightly to dodge the smaller rocks floating by. Alarms sounded from his computer as it detected the imminent explosion from behind him. With a blinding flash a few seconds later, the weapons platform detonated, throwing debris everywhere. "Watch your six, Fox!" said Peppy suddenly as the other pilots moved themselves behind some larger rocks for safety.  
"I've noticed," he replied as he swerved to avoid a piece of the superstructure as it flew by. He watched as it slowly tumbled in space, its advance coming to an abrupt halt as it hit an asteroid twice its size.  
"That mess is why I'd prefer using the Nova Bombs," muttered Falco. "No remains to worry about."  
"Funny."  
"Thanks, I try."  
Fox rolled his eyes and sighed, bringing his Arwing behind the asteroid where the rest of his team was. "Well, it looks like we're all here, so unless anyone has any objections I say we move on towards our next target."  
"Nothing I can think of," said Peppy. "See anything interesting out there, Slippy?"  
"I'm detecting no power signatures in the general area. There's a lot of debris, but it looks like we're clear to go."  
"Goodie, now to find more things to shoot at," commented the now bored avian.  
Fox moved his Arwing away from the rock they were using for cover, the rest of the team following after a moment. "Space combat isn't all fun and games, Falco, and you know it."  
"Yeah, lots of boring travel time from place to place."  
Fox decided to just ignore his teammate for the moment as they continued on their flight out of the asteroid field. "Guys, forward over your sensor data to my Arwing if you would. I have a report I need to think up."  
"Good idea," said Peppy. "You know, I just realized something. The sector where we're going to next was the source of the unidentified craft, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"So considering that nobody knew about what we just destroyed here, what could we face at our next destination, other than something even bigger?"  
With expert skill, Fox continued to weave his way out of the asteroid field as he debated on his teammate's question. "Great. I see your point. But ultimately, what choice do we have other than facing the unknown?"  
"None at all," grumbled Falco.  
"Exactly. It's one of the joys of exploring the universe. Don't worry about it until you stumble upon it. Anyway, let's keep it down for a bit as I need to figure out what to say to the base once we're able to chat with them again."  
The crew quieted down as they continued their journey out of the area to their next mission.

  
Back on Corneria, General Pepper was pacing around the command center, anxiously awaiting any information from the Starfox team. As expected, they had vanished off their sensors not long after they entered the asteroid belt some time ago. "Any luck yet?"  
Gary sighed, having answered this question far too many times already this morning. "As I've told you before, Pepper, I'll let you know the moment I see them."  
With a muted swish the door to the room opened, admitting Fara who paused to look around the room before continuing. Noticing the restless look on the General's face, she walked over to Gary instead. "What's up with Pepper?" she whispered.  
"He's just worried about the team," he whispered back. "He just doesn't understand that missions like this take time and that the probes aren't perfect."  
"Well, I have some good news for him. Hopefully that will adjust his attitude slightly."  
"Let's hope so. He's driving me up a wall with his constant pestering."  
Fara walked over to the General, who was currently trying to keep himself occupied by looking out one of the many windows bordering the room. "You have a moment, Pepper?"  
The General turned around, paws clasped behind his back. "I'm free for the time being, Fara. What do you need?"  
"I'm just passing along some good news to you. The engineers and I think the problems with the Nova Bombs are fixed. We just need to install our new ideas and test them out."  
Pepper smiled, looking pleased for the first time this afternoon. "That's wonderful news. Who thought of the solution?"  
"Oddly enough, Fox did. We just made it practical."  
"Good job. I just hope it works."  
"As do we, Pepper." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I have a question for you if you don't mind."  
"Go right ahead."  
Fara's question was never asked as Gary interrupted them both. "Pepper, sorry to intrude, but the Starfox team is on the line."  
"Excellent." The General turned to look at Fara as he walked over to take the call. "Sorry, but duty calls."  
"No problem. Mind if I listen in?"  
"Sure."  
The pair walked over to Gary's station, the cheetah indicating that Pepper could talk at any time. "Starfox team, this is General Pepper. What's your status?"  
Fara smiled as Fox's upbeat voice came over the com. "The first part of our mission is fully accomplished. It's a doozy though."  
"That's putting it nicely," interrupted Falco.  
"Falco… Anyway, we caught Andross in the middle of building some kind of weapons platform."  
The eyes of the threesome rose in shock. "That's most interesting. Care to explain, Junior?"  
"Kinda hard to clarify from here, so instead I'm sending your way a bunch of scans from our computers. It'll make far more sense than having me try to describe the thing."  
The three shifted their gaze to the computer terminal in front of them, watching as the platform appeared as a detailed rotating three-dimensional view. "Wow," said Fara excitedly. "Gary, mind if you throw that thing up on the main screen? This is very interesting."  
The cheetah nodded, knowing that her thoughts had been beneficial before. "Sure." Fara moved to the front of the room, picking up a small remote in one paw and using it to manipulate the image as she approached.  
Fox came back on the line. "So, have you figured out what's next?"  
"No idea," said Gary. "However, I'm worried that since we didn't spot in advance what you just took out, whatever we detected at your next destination is even bigger."  
"That's just what I wanted to hear," muttered Falco.  
Slippy ignored the avian as he spoke his mind. "Gary, were those energy readings we detected back at the base earlier? If so, is their any kind of correlation between the two?"  
"You know, I didn't think about that. Let me look into it."  
Pepper came back into the conversation. "Junior, how did the Arwings hold up out there?"  
"We had a few close calls, but nothing we couldn't handle. I'm concerned over the Arwing's shield strength. It doesn't take much before they threaten to collapse. They regenerate quickly enough, but in a sustained firefight…"  
"I know," said Fara as she held a spare headset over one ear. "Unfortunately, due to technology limitations, sacrifices had to be made. The Arwings were designed to be quick and nimble, not to take a ton of punishment." She glanced over the screen in front of her before continuing. "You know, that weapons platform you guys blew up was a rather interesting design."  
Falco put in his opinion once more. "Yeah, all firepower and no maneuverability."  
"That's not what I mean."  
Gary indicated that he had something to say, so Fara let him continue. "I've finished my analysis. You're not going to like this, but Slippy's assumption seems to be correct. It looks like you'll be facing another craft like the one you just destroyed."  
"Well that just made my day," complained Falco, interrupting once more.  
The rest of the team was quiet for a moment before Fox's voice was heard again. He was privately making sure that the avian wouldn't continue with his snide comments. "Sorry. Do you have any idea if that platform will be operational however?"  
"No, I don't," replied Gary. "Personally, I'm guessing yes."  
"Lovely." He sighed. "Fara, did you have something to say about our prior target?"  
"Yeah. Based on the information provided, I'm sending you a simulation on what I expect you to face had that platform been completed. Basically, it's a cross shaped design, each end of that cross holding a bank of five laser turrets, with another bank on the reverse side. Each side also has a single missile launcher attached to the end of it."  
"Interesting. Any weak points?"  
"Maybe. Since I'm not looking at a completed design, I can only speculate. Based on how easily you destroyed the one under construction, I'm guessing there is a weakness in how the missiles are stored internally. Blow up a missile, and the entire section goes up in flames."  
"Easy enough."  
"It's not quite that simple though."  
"Why am I not surprised?"  
Fara laughed. "Because that kind of luck seems to follow you around. Anyway, between the multi-phasic shielding and double-layered armor, neither of which was completed on the craft you just fought, you won't be doing any kind of damage right off. I'd recommend a Nova Bomb to start, but we all know that is a suicidal move."  
"Which is right up my alley according to my teammates."  
"Fox, you know the Arwing's hull wouldn't hold up for two seconds under that kind of firepower."  
The vulpine sighed, tired of being reminded. "I know. What about bringing in the Arwings for their upgrade before continuing?"  
Pepper interrupted with his thoughts. "While a good idea, Andross knows you're already coming if I had to make a guess, so delaying your confrontation would not be recommended."  
"We wouldn't be able to have them ready for combat for a good twelve hours anyway," chimed in Fara. "This isn't exactly a patch job."  
"Well, that idea is out. Any other suggestions?"  
"Nothing other than concentrate your firepower on wherever the missiles are stored and hope for the best."  
"Noted. We'll be at Sector X shortly, so we're signing off for now. Catch you all when we get another clear transmission out."  
"Good hunting out there," said Pepper.  
"Thanks. Fox out." With that the communication ended, leaving those in the command center hopeful for another successful resolution.

  
Over on Venom, Andross sat back in his chair in his command center, looking over a datapad that he held in one paw. The small screen held progress reports from everywhere in the system, detailing construction times, goods acquired from planets, and other small things requiring his attention. Putting down the pad onto his lap for a moment, he looked around, letting his gaze wander from one gray wall to another.  
His free moment away from his work ended as a light flashed on his console in front of him. He clenched his fists in anger, but quickly calmed himself, closing his eyes until he brought his breathing to a normal level. Picking up the headset nearby he accepted the call. "Andross here."  
"Emperor, sir, this is control. I have some…bad news. Sector 328 has fallen to the enemy."  
Andross' anger quickly came back. "What!?"  
"Two pilots have just contacted me, sir, saying that they saw the Starfox team attack the Annihilator as it was under construction. It put up a valiant fight, but in the end they were overwhelmed and destroyed."  
The ape clenched his fists, but having nothing to break nearby he just sat there and let his anger build. "Damn it! Do they have any idea where they are going next?"  
The lizard quickly grew nervous as he knew that his leader's unbridled rage was something to avoid. "No, sir, I don't. Based on proximity alone, however, they have three possible objectives – return home, attack the desert planet of Papetoon, or attack sector 297, also known as Sector X."  
Andross grumbled under his breath, trying to assemble his thoughts. "Is the Devastator online and ready for combat?"  
"At last report, yes, sir."  
"Tell them to expect McCloud and his flunkies."  
"Their orders?"  
"To annihilate them."  
"Yes, sir. Unless you have anything else to say—"  
"No."  
"Yes, sir. Over and out."

  
The three in the command center over at Corneria sat and watched as the four Arwings faded from view of their spy satellites. "And now we wait," said Gary, breaking the near silence of the room.  
Fara figured that now was as good of a time to ask her question from before. "Pepper, do you have a minute to answer a question?"  
"Of course. Your inquiry from earlier?"  
She nodded. "What's the deal between Fox and Andross? And why do you keep calling him Junior?"  
"You haven't heard the story before, Fara?"  
"Sorry, I try to stay out of people's personal lives unless it involves me directly."  
"To each their own." He shrugged, starting his tale. "Anyway, Fox McCloud Sr., or James McCloud, as he was more commonly called, was the finest pilot on Corneria back in his day. Not too long after Fox Jr. was born, his mother tragically died. James hoped that his son would follow in his paw prints."  
He frowned slightly, thinking back over Fox's history. "Junior was at the top of his class. He could fly circles around a flea, endure days of gravity training, and recite the Cornerian constitution backwards, among other things. James was justly proud."  
Fara smiled. "Funny."  
"No, I'm serious. Not too long afterwards, he met a rowdy kid with enough street savvy to fill an encyclopedia. His name was Falco. He wanted to fly and Junior showed him the way. He cleaned up his act and entered the Academy, earning his wings."  
"So that's where Falco came from. And why he seems so out of place at times."  
Pepper nodded, holding back a laugh. Out of place was an understatement as far as he was concerned. "Anyway, in those days, Andross was a scientist, head of the Academy. He was brilliant but unstable, building and researching such wonders as Hyperlight drives, antigravity machines, and androids."  
He paced around the room, remembering exact events from a few years ago. "When Andross developed the Gravity Bomb, the predecessor to the Nova Bombs, Fox Sr. volunteered to deliver it to one of the local asteroid belts for testing. He went out alone, not knowing the risks that Andross had built into the bomb."  
The canine paused, closing his eyes in brief remembrance. "At critical velocity, the bomb detonated according to Andross' design. James, his ship, and half the asteroid belt were sucked into what we call the black hole."  
Fara looked on in shock as Pepper continued. "Andross was obviously a mad ape! He was exiled to the ends of the universe, but he managed to return to the Lylat system and build his base on Venom, using the local population to create his army."  
"As Andross' power grew on Venom, Junior protested. But the leaders of Corneria were terrified of Andross, and Junior and his friends were considered dangerous radicals. The four of them were exiled off Corneria and forced to live as outlaws on Papetoon."  
"Why didn't you help Fox?" she asked.  
"I was just a Sergeant then. I didn't have the power to do anything about it…" His head dropped, clearly upset at his inability to do anything at the time.  
"Interesting." She paused, debating on what to ask next. Her astonishment from the story still weighed heavily on her mind as she continued. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to Fox's mother? You also never explained the whole Junior thing either."  
"Well, I've been around James for a very long time, and I've seen his son grow up right in front of my eyes. I used to call him Junior way back when, and I guess I continue to do so now out of habit. As for his mother…" Pepper trailed off, thinking back to the day in question, a deep frown appearing on his face.  
Fara grew curious to the sudden silence. "Something wrong?"  
The canine looked her straight in the eyes and lowered his voice. "What I'm about to tell you is for your ears only. I'm guessing Junior knows already, but this isn't exactly public knowledge." She nodded. "Two words – car bomb."  
Her eyes opened wide with shock. "What?"  
"A few years after Junior's birth, Vixy, his mother, decided to go out for some reason or another. She got in the family hovercar, started it up, and then it spontaneously exploded. The official records have it listed as an accident, but—"  
"That's terrible!"  
Pepper looked solemn. "Yes, yes it was. James…he was never the same afterwards. Fortunately, he still had his son to look after, or else I fear what might have happened."  
"Who did it? I mean, who planted the bomb?"  
"Honestly, I really don't know. I have my suspicions, but the definite answer was never found."  
Fara shook her head. "Poor Fox. He's had such a harsh life so far."  
"Fortunately he had a wonderful father. He's also doing what the McCloud line loves doing best – flying."  
With nothing else to ask, she stood up and stretched, thinking over what was said. She'd never thought about what might had happened had she grown up without her parents. It must have been horrible for Fox, being there all alone. "Thanks again, Pepper. I really should double check the preparations of the Arwing upgrades. Let me know when they're coming back, okay?"  
"I will." With a wave she left the command center, her tail swishing lazily as the door closed behind her.


	17. The Devastator

Sorry for the rather long break between this chapter and the one prior - I decided to go on vacation. Nothing like lots and lots of snow to rejuvenate the writing talent.  
And to the person who was looking for the comics from Nintendo Power that I loosly base my fic off of, go visit sfx64.com, then click on Fan Comics on the left. While it says that they are from SF64, these comics are most definately from the original SNES title.  
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**Chapter 17: The Devastator**  
_'I'd hate to see this thing in motion,' I said. Me and my big mouth._ - Falco

  
Meanwhile, the Starfox team was currently engaged in yet another battle. "Slippy," said Fox as he shot down yet another fighter, "come to 45, mark 20. I'll clear that fighter for you."  
"Roger," replied the harried toad. "Be there in a second."  
Slippy came into Fox's line of fire within moments, but before he could shoot, an asteroid came out of nowhere and smashed into the hostile craft, sending it spinning out of control. It met its end shortly thereafter, crashing into a larger chunk of rock and exploding. "That was easy," said Fox with a laugh.  
Peppy's voice came over their com systems suddenly. "Watch yourselves you two. The asteroids are more concentrated where you're fighting."  
"We've noticed, old pal. Thanks for the warning."  
Falco whooped as another fighter exploded as it entered his sights. "Which one of you losers is next?" he taunted.  
Fox shook his head and laughed at his teammate's antics, knowing that there was little he could do to curb his excitement. Instead, he just swung his Arwing around, looking for yet another target. Finding one, he started firing, his opponent dodging behind an asteroid to avoid his shots.  
"Guys, I've spotted something big," said Slippy suddenly. "And it's close, whatever it is."  
"You sure?" asked Fox as he checked his sensors, still keeping an eye on the combat raging around him. "I don't see…scratch that. I need everyone to reform around me."  
"Roger," said Peppy. "The fighters Falco and I were engaging have broken off, so I'm assuming that they've spotted whatever you two just found."  
Fox watched as the fighters around him veered away in the direction of what he'd noticed on radar. He knew there were bigger things to worry about and cut off his pursuit. Slippy fell into formation shortly with Falco and Peppy joining him a few seconds later. "Let's figure out what we've spotted and get this over with."  
"Too much killing for the honorable leader in one day?" joked Falco.  
The vulpine failed to find the humor in his teammate's response. "Funny. Come on guys, follow me."  
As the four Arwings boosted off towards their target, Fox groaned in dismay as he visually spotted their final objective. "Well, Slippy, your guess from before seems to be rather accurate."  
"I was afraid I would be correct in this instance."  
In the distance, shrouded by tumbling asteroids, loomed a rather accurate representation of the weapons platform that Fara described to them earlier. Currently tilted to one side, the platform looked like a giant X, each section sticking out from the center armed with a barrage of laser turrets, slowly rotating as they searched for targets. The light gray hull looked to be in pristine condition, showing no damage from the many asteroids floating nearby. Without warning the craft contacted them. "This is the Imperial Weapons Platform Devastator. In the name of Emperor Andross, you are ordered to stand down and prepare to be destroyed."  
"Who's this guy kidding?" asked Falco on the Arwings' private communication frequency.  
"Falco, hush," replied Fox. "Slippy, scan for weak points on that thing."  
"Already on it."  
"Good. Everyone, we'll make a quick pass on that thing to see how well it's shielded. Concentrate your firepower here." With the touch of a few keys he transmitted the targeting info to the team's computers. "With luck, the missiles will be stored at the same place on this thing."  
"Roger."  
"Let's do this." Switching back to the frequency the platform was using, he replied to its demands. "As the free species of the Lylat system, tell your damned Emperor that your request is denied."  
"Prepare for your termination then." The signal cut off as the Devastator began firing on the Arwings, lasers streaking through the blackness of space toward their targets.  
"Scatter!" hollered Fox as he dodged the oncoming fire. "Attack as planned then get out of the way!"  
Falco charged recklessly ahead, somehow dodging most of the attacks directed towards him. As he got into range he fired, his shots striking the shields of the craft with little effect. The rest of the team fired moments after with the same results, the Arwings breaking off and hightailing it to safety afterwards.  
Safety was a relative term however, as Peppy yelled out suddenly, "I've got a missile lock!"  
Cursing, Fox tried to formulate a solution. "Peppy, use the asteroids as cover and hope that the missile crashes into them. I'll follow you and try to get it. Falco, Slippy, ascertain how much damage we did, if any, and keep out of that thing's range." Affirmatives were heard all around as Fox sped off after Peppy's Arwing.  
Skillfully the hare maneuvered around the floating rocks, attempting to get the missile trailing him to run into one of them. "Impressive tracking capability of these things," he commented, even though he was being chased. "I wonder how much fuel they hold."  
"Can't be too much," said Fox as he approached the missile. "I'm in range. Expect your tail to be off your tail in a second."  
"Thanks."  
"Hold on." Taking careful aim, Fox fired, his blasters striking an asteroid that drifted in front of his shots. Shaking his head at his luck, he fired again, this time with much greater success. Moments later the missile exploded, the resulting fireball coming close to engulfing Peppy's craft. "Damn, nice explosion. You okay there, old friend?"  
"I'm a bit shaken, but otherwise okay. I'm amazed at the payload that missile had though."  
Fox turned his Arwing around, working his way back towards the battle. "Agreed." He contacted the rest of his team. "Guys, avoid those missiles at all costs. They have one heck of a warhead. As for our attack run, did we do any kind of damage?"  
Slippy sounded glum. "None at all basically. If we could sustain that kind of firepower for a bit—"  
"Which I don't see possible in the slightest," interrupted Falco.  
"I was getting to that," the toad added, annoyed. "That craft is designed to take on small fleets, so the four of us are nothing but a mere annoyance."  
"That is not good," commented Fox. "Suggestions?"  
Slippy was silent for a moment, as was the rest of the team. "No."  
"Lovely. Well, I have no plans on returning home without doing our job, so let's get thinking."  
While the four Arwings floated in space, hidden behind some of many larger asteroids meandering around, the Devastator decided to taunt them. "So, the mighty Cornerian advance comes to an end here. Emperor Andross' might is just too great for your pitiful craft. Come on out and fight like the scum you are, not hide like a baby does in its mother's paws."  
"That's slightly annoying," grumbled Falco to the team.  
"Yeah," replied Fox. "Slippy, taking Fara's original suggestion into account, how effective would a Nova Bomb be against that thing?"  
"Not quite sure, Fox. With that ship so well shielded, I doubt it would destroy it. It might overload and bring down the shields though. You can't get close enough to use one anyway, so what's the point in asking?"  
"I have a plan."  
"Can't wait to hear this one," muttered Falco dryly.  
Peppy had a good guess as to what his teammate had planned. "You can't sacrifice yourself like this, Fox, not against a single ship. No matter how big it is."  
"No worries, old friend, I have no plans on going out in a blaze of glory. That's why you three are here."  
"Now I'm worried," complained Falco.  
"It doesn't involve you three much. You're just going to be my bodyguards."  
"I don't like the sound of this already."  
"Care to enlighten all of us, Fox?" asked Peppy.  
Fox gazed at the asteroid he was using as cover as he told everyone of his plan. "It's quite simple actually. See, we all know that our best solution to our problems is to just launch a Nova Bomb at that thing and get it over with. We just can't get close enough without getting blown up in the process."  
"In theory for the first part anyway," said Slippy. "But go on."  
"Well, here's my idea. You three will lead a charge towards the Devastator while I follow behind powering up a Nova Bomb. Just before it launches, you'll break away so I don't end up hitting you with it."  
"Wait a second," said Falco, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Let me get this straight. What you're trying to say is that our goal is to make sure we get shot at so you don't, right?"  
"You got it."  
"You're nuts, you know that?"  
Fox sighed. "Yes, Falco, you've told me that many times before already. If you have a better suggestion, I'd love to hear it."  
Surprisingly the avian stayed quiet at this point, so Peppy decided to put in his opinion. "Fox, we've heard many a plan from you over the years, but I do have to say that this is one of the more foolhardy ones."  
"Craziness aside however," said Slippy, "I do have to agree with him. We need to put a Nova Bomb into that thing somehow, and without our planned upgrade, this is basically our only option."  
Fox was shocked at what he heard. "My headset must be damaged or something as I swear I just heard one of you agree with me."  
"That's a first," said Falco.  
"I do believe it is." He laughed. "Okay guys, get into formation. Keep in mind that once I start the firing sequence, I'll have no maneuverability, shields, or communication. It's your job to make sure I don't get hit, especially from an asteroid which would throw off my aim, among other things."  
"Roger," replied the team.  
"Good. We're going in full throttle, so watch yourselves."  
With practiced precision, the four Arwings turned around and flew away from the Devastator, the larger craft taunting them as they left. "So, Fox McCloud and his cronies are running with their tails tucked between their legs. Go tell the citizens on Corneria hello for us, as we'll be coming their way shortly."  
The vulpine shook his head silently as he swung his Arwing around, the team moving in front of him as he stopped. "Time to take this jackass out of the picture. Remember, guys, my life is limited by your skill. No pressure or anything." The team laughed as they engaged their boosters towards their target, Fox quickly following.  
For once in his life, he was almost afraid. He knew that he was the only person who could risk it all for this attempt, as he didn't want to put anyone else's life in danger. Knowing this fact didn't make it easier to accept. Although, he trusted his teammates fully though, so that put him at ease just a bit. "Okay, we're in range. Firing a Nova Bomb!"  
As once before, as soon as he pressed the fire button all power shut off, leaving Fox in total silence short of the low hum of his launcher charging. Time seemed to slow as the Devastator fired upon his team, the Arwings moving into position to absorb the shots that would hit him.  
His eyes widened as he saw all four missile launchers on the craft fire, their heavy payloads more than enough to blow him out of the sky in his current state. Expertly, Falco killed his boosters for a moment, spinning in place to shoot down the missiles before they got into a more damaging position. He watched as three of the warheads quickly exploded, but the advancing pilots blocked his aim for the fourth.  
The avian boosted forward to get in line with the rest of the group as Peppy paused to take aim. As the missile approached, he fired, his shots connecting with the maneuvering jets on the back of it, throwing it off course just enough to pass by Fox's Arwing harmlessly. With a hiss he let out the breath his was holding, knowing that missile had him as a target.  
Unfortunately, that left him with only a single craft guarding him up front for just a moment as the others caught up. Despite Slippy's best efforts, multiple shots got past his Arwing, striking Fox's craft in several places. With a jolt that threw him hard against his restraints, something on the underside of his Arwing exploded, throwing him off course slightly.  
Fortunately, at that moment he regained power, the Nova Bomb launching from underneath his craft. The other Arwings veered off as it fired, missing the powerful weapon as it sped towards its target. Fox quickly moved himself out of the blast radius as well, ignoring the warning alarms coming from his computer about the damage he had taken earlier.  
With yet another blinding flash, the Nova Bomb exploded against the Devastator's shields. Blinking his eyes a few times to clear the afterimages of the explosion, Fox looked back towards the craft, hoping that it had been destroyed.  
The Devastator was still there.  
"Great," he muttered to himself. "Time to do this the hard way." Flipping a switch to contact his team, he stated, "Team, report your status."  
"I'm fine," replied Falco.  
"Shields low, but I'll survive," said Peppy.  
"Slight armor damage," replied Slippy. "But nothing a new paint job can't fix. Shields recharging."  
Fox looked over his own damage reports before responding. "I've lost one of my wing mounted blasters, but other than that I'm fine. Nice work guys."  
Slippy came back over the com. "As predicted, the Devastator's shields have collapsed, and it looks like they might be down for a while."  
"Some good news for once. Peppy, Slippy, hold back for a bit to let your shields recharge while Falco and I keep that thing busy."  
"Roger," said Falco. "Engaging."  
No longer restricted to a limited flight path, the two Arwings assaulted the Devastator. Laser fire erupted from both sides, the Arwings doing a far better job dodging the attacks than the much larger craft. The gray colored hull, once in pristine condition, began to show signs of damage as they continued to attack.  
"Incoming missiles!" shouted Peppy suddenly.  
Sirens blared in Fox's Arwing as his computer indicated that he had two missiles tracking his craft. He dodged a barrage of laser fire as he risked a glance out his cockpit window. Spotting the two missiles as they approached from different vectors, he hastily got himself out of their way, at least for the moment. "I could use some help here, Falco."  
The avian voice sounded strained as his attention was clearly on his own problems. "No can do. I have two of my own on my ass."  
"Noted. Peppy, Slippy, we could use your help out here."  
"More Arwings to get shot at, right?" asked Peppy.  
Fox laughed. "Exactly." Quickly he swerved to avoid a missile, running into the Devastator's laser fire in doing so. "Falco, we need to get these missiles to target something else."  
"Already ahead of you. Watch and learn." Using the targeting information given to him from Fox earlier, he sped towards the Devastator, the missiles following close behind. The turrets continued to assault his craft, but he just shrugged it off, knowing that he had an objective in front of him that he would not deviate from.  
As he neared, the turrets quieted, not wanting to shoot down the missiles trailing his Arwing. Fortunately, they didn't expect his next move, or else things might have gone a bit differently. Skillfully he came to a complete stop mere feet from the craft. Turning himself in place so he had an escape route, he waited for the missiles.  
His wait wasn't long. Still dodging the pair that was trailing him, Fox watched as the warheads bore down on Falco's position. Moments before impact, he kicked in his boosters, making sure he wasn't anywhere near the impending explosion.  
As expected, the missiles weren't able to veer off quickly enough, their payloads detonating on the side of the Devastator. The entire craft stopped firing as the ship shuddered from the explosion against its hull. "Hell yeah!" exclaimed Falco, overjoyed at the damage he just caused.  
Fox watched as the fireball abated, revealing a large hole where the armor plating used to be. He hoped that Fara's assumption was correct about a weak point, as he had a feeling that their little trick wouldn't work again without quite a bit of luck. "All Arwings, attack that opening!"  
His teammates moved into position, taking advantage of the momentary lapse in power on their target. Their blasters lit up the surrounding area as Peppy asked, "What about the missiles still following you, Fox?"  
He swerved once again to avoid the trailing warheads as he replied. "Don't worry, I know. I'm going to try the same trick in a second."  
The Arwings continued their assault as power was restored to the Devastator, the smaller craft dodging the incoming fire. The turrets shifted their assault to only target one Arwing at a time, chancing upon Slippy's craft first. The toad panicked as he was fired upon with more concentrated fire than he'd ever seen, desperately spinning away to avoid what he could. "Help!"  
"Back off and let your shields recharge!" hollered Fox. "I'm going to see if another volley of missiles will do this thing in!"  
"I'll see if I can get this sucker's attention," said Falco as he attacked one of the turrets. "Eat this, maggots for brains!"  
Fox laughed to himself as he lined himself up for a run against the Devastator. Making a quick check on his radar, he found the missiles were still right behind him. "Keep them busy, Falco. Here I come." He threw his throttle forward, boosting towards his target.  
As expected, the hostile craft changed its target towards Falco's Arwing, allowing Fox a clear run. He followed the avian's example, coming to a complete stop in front of the hole that he created just a short time ago. He sped off as the missiles approached, their powerful payloads crashing into the platform with a far deadlier reaction than the pair earlier.  
The resulting explosion detonated the missiles stored internally, causing a chain reaction that completely blew off the section that was damaged, sending debris shooting wildly. Unlike the last battleship, Fox's Arwing was far too close to escape unharmed. With a jolt that threw him against his restraints once more and threatened to knock him into unconsciousness, a chunk of the ship crashed into his right wing, overloading his shields and ripping it off his craft completely. Alarms blared as he attempted to get his damaged Arwing out of the blast area.  
Another large chunk of the Devastator flew past him as a different alarm sounded. Ignoring the warning, Fox continued his desperate escape, dodging around smaller asteroids and other chunks of debris as he hunted for something to hide behind. He cursed silently, finding nothing larger than his own craft drifting nearby.  
Swinging his Arwing around to dodge another piece of his former opponent, he spotted something that looked large enough for him to use as cover. After making a quick check on his radar to confirm it, he boosted towards the asteroid, his computer complaining to him once more as he continued to strain his battered craft. Reaching his destination, he swooped behind the rock, his craft suddenly maneuvering far differently than it did just minutes ago.  
Knowing that he was safe for the time being, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his racing heart, amazed that he was still in one piece. After a few seconds, he wiped the collected sweat off his brow as he contacted his team. "All Arwings, report in."  
His inquiry met nothing but silence.  
Quickly growing concerned, he opened his eyes and looked around, seeing nothing but drifting asteroids passing by as he tried once more to raise his friends. "Starfox team, this is Fox. All craft report in."  
His communicator remained quiet.  
"Lovely," he said to himself. Looking down at his computer screen, he realized it had been trying to get his attention for some time. Bringing up whatever it wanted, he found out why he wasn't able to contact anyone – his communication system was currently offline, and had been ever since he was originally hit. Groaning, he looked over the entire damage report. His right wing was missing in action, the stress of it being blown off damaging the maneuvering thrusters on that side as well.  
"That explains why controls felt funny back there," he muttered to himself. The computer continued with its report, stating that his left wing blaster had been damaged earlier in the battle. It was going to continue when the screen suddenly changed, indicating that communications were back online again, bringing the voices of his worried teammates to his ears.  
"Have you seen Fox anywhere on sensors?" asked Peppy.  
"I don't see him anywhere," replied Falco. "Then again, with all this crap in the area the sensors can't find anything."  
While the concern was touching, he let everyone know he was fine. "Guys, this is Fox. You don't need to worry as I'm okay, more or less."  
"Thank the Creator," said a relieved Peppy. "When the Devastator exploded, we were afraid we lost you."  
The vulpine laughed. "It will take more than a giant weapons platform to take me out of the picture. The techs are going to go nuts over the condition of my Arwing though."  
"The great McCloud damaging his craft in flight?" joked Falco. "How bad could it be?"  
"Falco, your sarcasm is annoying some days." He sighed. "How about a missing wing, damaged thrusters on that side, a busted weapon on the other, a communication system that just came back online, and a shield system that I think is broke…no, wait, that seems to be working again."  
"Damn."  
"No kidding. Everyone, report their status, and let's try to find each other. I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to go home."  
The team reported in and worked their way back into a group, pausing only long enough to get their bearings before heading home.


	18. Home at Last

One of my rare short chapters this time around. Don't worry, it'll be far longer from here on out.  
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**Chapter 18: Home At Last**  
_Damn, I really wrecked this Arwing. I'm normally better with craft than this._ – Fox  
_And another vehicle broken by Fox's paws. Clumsy oaf._ – Falco  
_I can't believe we survived that mission. Protecting Fox like that was so exhilarating! I want to do that again!_ – Slippy  
_Fox's bravado is going to get him killed one of these days. I can't believe he used us as shields back there. I'm still stunned that we got out alive after that._ - Peppy

  
"This is Fox. We're on final approach."  
The Arwings had reached home after an uneventful flight back. The engineering staff awaited their return, eager to get to work. Fara was with them as well, curious as to the damage Fox had incurred to his craft. "We read you loud and clear, Fox. The bay is cleared for your landing."  
If the vulpine was pleased to hear her voice once more, he didn't indicate it. "Roger. We'll be there shortly."  
Fara glanced around at the engineering staff assembled around her, tail swishing with anticipation to see the team back home again. The base employed 14 personnel of various races, each fully capable of rebuilding an Arwing given enough time and parts. She had dealt with them for some time now, getting to know them well due to her test pilot status. Looking over to the team's leader, a dark brown furred badger, she asked, "So, Cyrus, you ready for some serious work for once?"  
The badger laughed for a moment before responding, looking down at the shorter pilot. "Aye, lass, 'tis been quiet here since your testing days in these Arwings."  
Her gaze wandered as she thought back to earlier times. "Ah, the memories."  
"True. 'Tis amazing that you're still here if you ask me."  
Fara gave the badger an angry stare. "I'm not a bad pilot and you know it!"  
Cyrus grinned. "You know what I mean, lass. The Arwing be a complicated piece of machinery, and one that has its issues from time to time." He looked over to a panel in front of him, noticing a reading upon the display. "The Arwings are back crew," he said, turning around to face his team. "Time to see what kind of damage these pilots caused to our beauties."  
The personnel laughed as they gathered around the protective window in the side room they were in. Each wanted to have a clear view of the Arwings as they landed. The engineers gasped as Fox's craft arrived first, the missing wing and multiple scorch marks along the hull obvious to everyone in the room.  
"Wow," said Fara quietly.  
"Wow indeed." Cyrus quickly took command of the group as the other Arwings landed. "Beta team, 'tis your job to make the modifications to the back three Arwings. I see that the last one in the group has some external damage as well, so 'tis up to you to fix it. Alpha team, you're with me. We have a ton of work ahead of us on Fox's craft, so let's get to work."  
Fara watched as the team quickly collected their tools and marched off, leaving her alone in the room after a few moments. She watched the pilots disembark their craft, grumbling to herself about not being able to join them in flight. Wanting to make sure that they were okay, she left the room without another thought.

  
Fox jumped off the final step of the fold out ladder on the side of his craft, dropping to the metal floor with a muted clank. After hitting a hidden button to retract the ladder, he wandered to the side of it to survey the damage.  
It was not a pretty sight.  
Looking closely, he could tell exactly what had happened to his Arwing, spotting all the damage that had become of it as well. When a chunk of the Devastator crashed into his wing, instead of shearing the wing off instantly, the shields had held his ship together for an instant, the delay causing the wing, and everything that was attached to it, to bend and warp before it finally broke off. It was obvious that the thrusters and the G-Diffuser system were simply scrap on that side.  
Fox was about to check out the other side of his craft when Falco wandered up. "Looking at all the damage you caused there, Fox?" he asked with a grin on his face.  
"More or less. I'm impressed the Arwing kept going after taking damage like this."  
Cyrus walked up to them, interrupting their conversation. "'Tis one of the nice features of these Arwings – short of the wing blasters nothing is linked, so they can take a beating and keep on flying." He shook his head as he realized that he forgot to introduce himself. "Sorry, lads, I forgot my manners. My name is Cyrus, head of the engineering staff here on base." He extended his paw in greeting, both pilots shaking it in response.  
"Glad to meet you," said Fox. He introduced Falco, and then added in his other teammates as they arrived. "Sorry about the condition of my Arwing, but I ran into a few…difficulties out there."  
The badger laughed. "No matter, lads. It keeps us busy down here fixing the messes you create. Although, 'tis be nice if you brought more of your craft back home next time. Why, I remember the time when…"  
Much to Fox's relief his story was broken up as Fara came up behind him, jabbing Cyrus in the arm playfully. "Hey, you old coot, you have a job to do, remember? They don't have time for your stories." She waved to the pilots. "Hi, guys."  
The Starfox team waved back as the badger turned around, playfully messing with Fara's headfur. "So I'm an old coot now, eh? But you're right though, I do have work to do. If you'll excuse me." He turned back around advancing on Fox's Arwing, getting down to the business at hand.  
The five pilots walked off to the nearest elevator, their heads watching the engineers swarming around their craft. Once they got out of earshot, Fox said quietly, "Thanks for the save back there."  
Fara laughed. "Cyrus is a friendly old guy. He goes off on a tangent a tad too often, but he does his job quite well. Anyway, nice to see you brought back the Arwings in one piece." She looked past the team towards Fox's craft. "Well, more or less anyway."  
"Sorry. Let's just say that my wing got into an argument with a piece of superstructure. You can see who won."  
"That much is obvious. You guys okay?" A round of affirmatives reached her ears. "Good, glad to hear that. Pepper wants to see you all then on the top floor for a debriefing."  
The elevator door opened as they reached it and closed behind the team when they walked in. Punching the button to take them to the top floor, Fox looked bored as he debated on what else to say. "Yet another dull debriefing. Fara, what are you going to do while we try to keep ourselves awake?"  
She grinned. "The exciting job of going over the data on that monster of a craft you blew up. Talk about fun."  
Fox rolled his eyes as one of his teammates laughed. "I can imagine."  
The elevator reached its destination, dropping off the pilots and allowing them to continue with the rest of their day.

  
The remainder of the day went peacefully for the Starfox team, allowing them to relax and recuperate after their battles. After the uneventful debriefing the pilots split up, each finding some way of keeping themselves occupied while the engineering staff repaired and upgraded their Arwings. Despite all this free time the day passed quickly by, the night going even faster.  
Fox slept in the next morning, having accidentally forgotten to set his alarm. He slowly rolled out of bed, yawning as he stood up. His sleepy eyes looked at the electronic clock, his mind slow to tell him what he was looking at. With a shock that jolted him wide-awake, he realized that the clock read 8am, the time where the General had made his presence known the last few days.  
His computer suddenly beeped at him, informing him he had a call. As he wasn't exactly presentable to anyone else in the base in his current attire, he set his computer to not display his picture as he accepted the call with a groan. "Fox here," he said, hoping that he didn't sound too tired.  
"Morning, Junior," said Pepper in his usual militaristic tone as his face appeared on his screen. "Peppy told me that he hasn't seen you in the mess hall yet, so I decided to try you here. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."  
Fox's mind raced to find a decent response. "No, General, you aren't. I've just been looking over a few things from yesterday's flight." He hoped his lie seemed convincing enough, as he wasn't in the mood yet to explain his oversleeping.  
"Glad to hear you're still thinking about your mission, even this early in the morning." Fox watched as Pepper looked at his screen for a moment. "Why is your camera off?"  
The vulpine laughed weakly as he continued his charade. "Sorry there, Pepper, must have pushed the wrong button or something."  
The General seemed pleased with that answer. "Perfectly understandable. Anyway, I'm calling to let you know that the engineers are running a bit behind, so your Arwings aren't quite ready yet."  
"Any problems we should know about?"  
"No, none at all. They're just behind schedule it seems. Personally, I'd suggest talking to them yourself if you're concerned. They insist that they'll be ready around noon however, so it looks like today's events will be delayed until then."  
"What's our goal today? Another asteroid field or two?"  
Pepper smiled. "Not quite. With your objectives completed from yesterday, you now have a clear path towards a goal that will make everyone pleased – the recovery of one of our planets. Papetoon."  
Fox perked up at that word, pleased to hear that his team would be going after the planet that he'd called home for the last year and a half. "Really? I know the team will be glad to hear that."  
"I thought it would. I'll leave you to inform them then." Pepper turned away from the screen for a moment before realizing he had something else to say. "One last thing – nice job on the interview last night."  
"Thanks." He thought back to the media interview that he conducted along with the General the night before. "They didn't seem too enthused with us once they learned that we didn't take back a planet though."  
Pepper nodded. "I wasn't too happy to see that either." He shrugged. "Oh well. Anyway, I'll more than likely talk to you again in the mess hall around lunch, so prepare your team."  
"I'll do that General. Catch you later." The screen powered down as Pepper ended the call, leaving Fox alone for the moment. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he decided that it was time to get some food into his stomach and to proceed with his day.


	19. One Good Meal

One last moment of peace for the Starfox team before they jump into the fire once more. Oh, and don't worry - Fara is most definately not sitting the rest of this story out. We'll be seeing much more of her shortly.  
----------   
  
** Chapter 19: One Good Meal**  
_We're going after Papetoon? Fantastic. After being there firsthand for so long, it'll be nice to see that place restored to its former glory. As much glory as sand and rock can be anyway._ – Fox

  
After a lonely breakfast due to the rest of his teammates having already finished eating far earlier, Fox spent the rest of his morning to himself. He borrowed a book from the library and read it in the gardens. As noon rolled around he walked back to the mess hall, deciding to wait around and talk to his team at that point about what Pepper told him.  
As expected, the mess hall was rather busy by this time. By his best guess he counted some 30 people all sitting around, eating and talking happily, ignoring the fact for the moment that they were currently at war. He walked up to the self-service bar and decided on a simple ham sandwich and soda before turning around, searching for anyone else on his team. His gaze wandered around, finally spotting Peppy and Fara sitting together at the far side of the room.  
The two pilots said their greetings as Fox walked up. As he sat down, Fara smiled and said, "So, sleepyhead here finally decided to get up, eh?"  
He smiled back, taking a good look at her. He pushed the thoughts of how pretty she looked out of his head as he replied. "Very funny, Fara. I'll have you know that I've been up for quite some time now." He noticed the empty trays in front of his teammates as he started on his own. "I see that you've already eaten. Been here long?"  
"Just got done myself," said Fara, shaking her head, having noticed the extra attention. She didn't think too much of it though. "I've been watching the engineers some of the morning and decided to grab a bite to eat."  
Peppy put down the datapad containing the latest newspaper as he responded. "I've been here a bit listening up on the latest gossip and reading the paper."  
Fara looked intrigued as Fox continued to eat. "Oh really? What's going around on the grapevine?"  
"Not too much. A couple of the security pilots are egging one of the guys to ask out someone he knows from the guards here on base. She's real cute from how they're describing her."  
Fara laughed, remembering some of the previous attempts of the base staff trying to find dates, her thoughts wandering back to the vulpine across the table in the process. "We have a few lookers around here. The only problem with us being such a tight knit community is that word spreads rather quickly."  
"I know the feeling," said Fox as he put down his sandwich for a moment. "We had no real privacy at all on Papetoon."  
"That is an understatement, my friend," groaned Peppy.  
"Fortunately we had our own rooms at least. Or else I doubt all of us would be still be here." Fara giggled, prompting Fox to continue. "I'm serious."  
"Sounds like the making of yet another silly TV comedy - four guys and a cave, or something along that line for a title."  
The three pilots laughed for a moment, Fox asking another question as they quieted. "Anyway, have you two seen the rest of the crew today?"  
Peppy shook his head as Fara spoke up. "Slippy's been watching the engineers work most of the morning from what I hear. At least he's been there while I stopped in to talk with them earlier. I think he has the makings of an engineer."  
"Doesn't surprise me in the slightest," commented the hare, thinking over some of the things that Slippy had constructed over the past few months. "He's always been interested in what makes something tick."  
Fox laughed. "More like always taking things apart to see what makes them tick. He does have a knack for those things though."  
Peppy nodded. "That he does. He'll make a great mechanic or engineer some day."  
"Assuming we all survive this war," said Fara glumly.  
Looking into the eyes of his teammates Fox said, "We'll survive this war. Trust me on this." He was deadly serious with this statement, almost daring the others to contradict him.  
"Glad to see you're confident about it," said Fara, not too sure about their chances of winning. "There's still a ton of ground to cover before we can claim victory."  
"Overconfidence can lead to disaster you know, Fox," said Peppy.  
"I know. We will win this though."  
The threesome remained quiet after that, their silence broken by Falco suddenly walking up to their table. "Heya, Falco," said Fara kindly.  
"Afternoon." He looked over at Fox as he sat down, a tray in one paw. "Hey, Fox, when are we going flying again? I'm getting restless just sitting around here in the base."  
The vulpine sighed. "You've been out of the air for less than a day and you're already complaining?"  
He looked cross as he responded. "Yes I am. You have a problem with it?"  
"Falco, my friend," started Peppy, "you need to remember that there are quiet times even in war. Enjoy your free time before you aren't able to."  
Falco scowled as he started eating the sandwich he brought with him. "Quiet you."  
"I can see who got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," smirked Fara.  
Fox forestalled any response by speaking up. "Falco, as usual, you're no conversationalist. However, I have some news that I guarantee will make you all somewhat pleased."  
"Did you run into Pepper?" asked Peppy, interrupting. "He was looking for you this morning."  
Fox nodded. "That I did. And it concerned our next target to abolish the opposition on. We're going to Papetoon."  
The team cheered quietly, and even Falco looked pleased for a moment. "Good. I've had enough of dodging rocks to last a lifetime."  
"We all have. It'll be nice to visit a planet for a change, even if it is the one we just vacated."  
"Asteroids are just part of the natural flotsam of outer space," said the hare thoughtfully. "They're also part of what might have been a planet had circumstances been slightly different."  
Falco groaned yet kept quiet over Peppy's latest reflection on his views of the universe. At that point Slippy walked up, bringing his own meal from the bar. "Hey, everyone," he said tiredly.  
Fox noticed his teammate's less than energetic mood as everyone else greeted him. "Hey, Slip, you look pooped. Not sleep well last night?"  
Slippy shook his head as he sat down. "No, I just spent most of the night helping out the engineering crew. That Arwing is an amazing piece of machinery from the inside."  
"That it is," said Fara appreciatively.  
"They wanted me to let you know that their work is finished by the way. We'll be able to fly them as soon as they get fueled up." He bit slowly into his own sandwich before continuing. "That reminds me - have you learned where we're going today?"  
"I have some good news on that," said Fox with a grin. "We're headed back home to Papetoon."  
"Now that is excellent news." Slippy leaned back in his chair and yawned. "Sorry. I guess I was working a tad too late into last night."  
"No problem." Fox looked over his team. "Crew, it looks like we'll be getting ready for launch shortly, so prepare yourselves."  
"This will be fun," said Falco in a far more jovial mood than he was just a few minutes ago. "The lizard scum won't know what's coming to them."  
"Looks like this might be the easiest stage of our assault, so enjoy it while it lasts." Fox looked Fara's direction as he continued. "Fara, I take it you were checking up on the engineer's work as well earlier, right?"  
She nodded. "Yup. I have trust in their skills though, so I don't need to pay too much attention."  
"Good. Okay guys, let's work our way up to see the General and see if we can surprise—"  
Fox's thoughts were interrupted as Pepper's voice came over the loudspeaker. "This is General Pepper speaking. Will the Starfox team please report to my office immediately. That is all."  
The vulpine sighed, slightly upset at what he had just heard. "And yet another good idea ruined."  
"It's like Pepper is always keeping an eye on us," commented Peppy, glancing at the security camera embedded into the ceiling.  
"It sure seems that way, doesn't it?" joked Fara.  
Fox looked over his team as he stood up. "Oh well, let's get going. We have a planet to take back."  
Fara stayed seated for the moment, wishfully looking at the others. "Enjoy yourselves."  
"We will. Don't get too bored without us."  
The foursome deposited their trays as they walked off, nobody noticing that the usually hungry Slippy hadn't finished his meal.

  
The four pilots walked into Pepper's briefing room, the General surprisingly waiting for them to come in. Noticing that only four people walked into his room, he commented, "Isn't Fara with you as usual?"  
Fox shook his head as he sat down. "We were taking with her earlier when you called, but I guess she decided not to come as she isn't actually flying."  
"Well, no matter. Knowing her she's watching in her own way." Pepper cleared his throat before continuing, pulling out his remote as usual. "Okay everyone, today is a big day. Not only are the Nova Bombs fully operational based on their original designs, but this will be the first planet you're going to take back for our side."  
The team looked pleased to hear that what Fox said to them before was true. "Thanks for letting us go after Papetoon so early in the war, General. This means quite a bit to us."  
Pepper smiled. "I knew it would. Anyway, compared with other locations we'll be sending you to in the near future, this should be an easy day." He pointed the remote at the screen behind him, pushing a button. "As you already know, this is the desert planet of Papetoon."  
The team laughed, confusing the General as to why. Peppy was the first to recover his composure. "I don't know about you, but that looks like a news broadcast to me."  
The canine wheeled around in his chair, staring at the screen where a local station was currently showing the planetary weather. He glanced down at the remote he was holding, pushing a different button upon it. The screen darkened for a moment, switching to a moving image of Papetoon from space. Shaking his head in dismay, he turned back around, ignoring the snickers from the rest of the room. "Anyway, this is Papetoon. As you no doubt know from your time upon it, there isn't much of a military presence on the planet."  
Fox spoke up to correct the General. "Actually, sir, I beg to differ. As it is, if you don't mind, we might have some insider information on what might be viable targets down there."  
Pepper looked annoyed, not used to being interrupted. "So, Junior, what you're trying to say is that you know a better way to accomplish your mission than the military intelligence that has access to a spy satellite that sits near the planet and that has been watching this place for some time?"  
The vulpine looked unsure of himself for a moment, but quickly regained his composure as he knew he had the upper hand as far as the happenings on Papetoon. "General, don't take this the wrong way, but due to our living on Papetoon for the last year and a half we've compiled quite a few targets that would've been worth our time to destroy had we had the proper materials."  
Fortunately for Fox, the General was more than willing to listen to a reasonable suggestion. "Your request makes sense, Junior." He stood up, passing his remote over. "You're pushing your luck though, so don't disappoint me."  
He smiled. "Thank you." Walking up to the screen, he flicked the remote like Pepper did the other day, producing a pointer. He turned back towards the General and asked a question. "Is there some way I can get a topographical map?"  
"Yes," replied Pepper with a nod. "Shot three I believe."  
Turning towards the screen, he punched the buttons on the remote, changing the shot to one of a map of the planet's surface. He looked impressively at the screen as he said, "Nice detail there. Far better than the drawn maps we had access to anyway." Turning back around, he continued with his speech. "Now, guys, you all remember what we've said in the past, right?"  
"If we only had a bomb we could stop this madness once and for all?" asked Peppy in a serious tone.  
"Exactly. And we now have far more than a single bomb – we have four."  
"And we have an easy way to get them from target to target."  
Falco smiled with glee. "We're finally gonna blow these damned lizards off our planet for good."  
Fox looked pleased with his team's attitude and began pointing out goals as he talked. "That we are. Okay, guys, you should already know our goals – destroy any spacecraft that might be sitting at the three planetary spaceports, demolish the four hardened bunkers that are garrisoning the troops controlling the planet, and find some way to contact the resistance and let them know that the planet is theirs again."  
"All in a day's work," said Peppy with a grin.  
"Pepper, do you have any other goals for us, or do you think we have the planet covered?"  
The General thought over Fox's plan for a moment as he stood nearby with his arms crossed. "You have everything planned out it seems. Although I do have one thing to add – we have a troop transport on its way towards the planet. Their destination is whatever spaceport you want it to land at. Their objective is to help reclaim the planet from the ground, and to eliminate any pockets of resistance they might find."  
"Good idea. Getting into ground combat is something I nor my team had any plans for."  
"Don't worry, Junior, I know. You were hired as pilots, not ground troops. Just let them a call when you're ready for them to land. Anyway, I'll have that mission data uploaded to your computers. You four are dismissed unless you have any other questions."  
Fox shook his head, as did the rest of his team. "We're good here, General. We'll see you when we get back." Placing the remote back on the table, he worked his way out of the room, his teammates following. "Let's go guys. We have a planet to restore back to its former glory."

  
Meanwhile, Fara had just left her quarters, the door to her room closing behind her softly. "'Knowing her she's watching in her own way' indeed, General," she muttered under her breath, unhappy at what he had said while she'd looked in on the briefing. In a way though she was glad that she didn't attend, as she had a feeling that Fox wouldn't have been as blunt with Pepper had she been around. After making sure that the door to her room was locked, she walked off to the nearest elevator.  
Passing by the rooms to the rest of the team, she wished she could join them as they continued their conquest of Andross' troops. She lowered her head sadly as she thought back to just a few days ago and the incident that ended her chances to help out. She reached the elevator as she continued to think, pressing the call button without a second thought. To her surprise it opened seconds afterward, revealing the Starfox team. Recovering her composure quickly, she smiled and asked, "Going down?"  
Fox smiled back, having noticed the displeasure on her face just moments before. "There's always room for the team." The group moved back, allowing her access.  
"Thanks." The door closed once more, the elevator continuing its journey downward.  
"So, Fara, we missed you at the briefing. Something wrong?"  
She shook her head as she quickly thought up an excuse. "No. I was just double-checking the Arwings before your flight. Besides, you didn't need me at the meeting anyway as I'm not currently flying."  
Fox frowned, disagreeing with her statement. "Fara, you know that your opinion is always useful at these meetings. Besides, we're just a tad behind the times as far as knowledge of the system goes, so your information would help us all."  
Fara took a good look at Fox's face and realized that he was telling the truth, not trying to simply cheer her up. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll make sure to join you on your later briefings."  
"Good to hear." The elevator came to a halt, the double doors opening up to reveal the engineering bay and the Arwings that they contained. As the team walked out, Fox noticed that Fara wasn't following. Turning around he said, "See you later. Don't let Pepper keep you too busy."  
She laughed. "Pepper? Keep me busy? Never. Say hi to your friends on Papetoon for me." Pausing for a second, she realized something else that needed to be said. "Guys, I just remembered something you might find useful now that they're working. I've found that while the Nova Bombs explode upon hitting something, you can detonate them early by shooting at them. I doubt Pepper told you this little tidbit."  
Fox rolled his eyes, getting tired of all the things that the absentminded canine hadn't told them. "No, he didn't. Thanks."  
"Glad I could help. And enjoy your flight."  
The doors closed, leaving her alone for the moment. Sighing, she turned towards the lone panel and made sure the doors wouldn't open behind her. Pushing what seemed to be some kind of code into the call buttons, she said to the empty room, "Hey, Fay, it's me."  
"Just a second, Fara," replied a female voice over the speaker system.  
A few seconds later the entire back end of the elevator split apart, revealing what looked to be a large sized science lab. The place looked to be in complete disarray. Each of the half dozen tables were littered with partially completed devices, assorted pieces of junk, and more paperwork than one could imagine. Fara looked around the white walled room exclaiming, "Don't you ever clean this place?"  
As she walked into the lab, she heard laughter from off to one side. Turning toward the sound, she saw Fay, the same white furred canine that Fox ran into a few days ago. As she unbuttoned her knee-length lab coat, she said in a happy, upbeat voice, "Fara, you know very well that we rarely clean this place up. It's not like we ever have visitors. Well, short of you and the General anyway."  
Fara walked among the tables, picking through what looked interesting as Fay followed. "That's an understatement." Dropping what looked like some kind of armored wristband back on the table, she turned towards the canine. "Is Miyu around in this mess somewhere? She said she had something for me to see."  
"I'm here," said a gruff sounding voice off to one side of the pair. Walking from behind a triad of bookcases that had even more junk piled on them, along with the books that should be there, appeared the source of the voice. Miyu was a tall, tan furred lynx, her fur marked with black highlights in a multitude of places. With long purposeful strides she approached, holding what looked to be a standard issue military blaster in one paw. "I'm glad you could come," she said in a militaristic tone as she towered over the vixen. "As I said earlier, I have something to show you." She held out the blaster she was holding, handle first. "Take a look."  
Fara accepted the silver and black weapon, first making sure that the safety was enabled before looking it over. At first glance, she assumed it was nothing more than the basic weapon that everyone was allowed to carry on base. A closer look however revealed the differences. She looked up thoughtfully after a few seconds and said, "Well, there is a bit more bulk over where the energy clip goes in, and there's some additional heft to where the firing mechanism is, so I'm guessing you've upped the firing capability somehow."  
"Nice detective work," said Fay, her blue short-sleeved shirt and skirt swishing around as she walked to another table. "You get a cookie for your efforts."   
Fara giggled at the canine's remarks as Miyu shook her head at her fellow scientist's immaturity. Straightening her green toned military camouflage, she said, "You've noticed most of the changes, but there's something else. Keep looking."  
Fara nodded as she looked over the blaster once more. Finding nothing else visually different, she grasped the gun in her right paw like she was about to fire it, pointing it at the far end of the room. "I don't see..." She paused, feeling something different where her thumb normally rested. Drawing the gun back, she looked closer, finding a small moveable panel with an unlabeled toggle switch beneath.  
Miyu smiled like a teacher would to their student. "Good job. Now, if you'll just pass that back for a moment, I'll show you what it can do." Fara complied with the request, handing over the weapon. "Now, you know about the standard issue blasters we all get – rapid fire capability, lots of ammo, but unable to do any real damage to more armored targets. Like an Arwing for example."  
"I love this part," smirked Fay from behind her, knowing what was going to happen shortly.  
The lynx ignored her companion as she continued. "Not too pleased with the original design, we decided to make a few modifications." She walked to the far end of the room, stopping near a shielded enclosure. "Fay, if you would do the honors."  
"Sure thing, boss," she remarked as she moved over to a terminal, pushing some papers out of the way so she had clear access to it.  
"Watch and learn, Fara. All you have to do is flip the switch, wait about five seconds for the gun to charge, then fire as usual." As the lynx spoke, she followed her own instructions. The blaster let off a slight chirping sound, letting her know the weapon was ready. "Now for the fun part."  
Inside the shielded room was a small sized plastic container, presumably once used to hold some of the junk scattered around the room. After taking careful aim Miyu fired, lancing through the specially configured shield designed to allow the shot. The energy bolt struck the container dead on. It promptly exploded, the small chunks harmlessly striking the shield nearby.  
Fara looked on with awe as the remaining pieces settled to the ground. "Wow. There's nothing left."  
"And another vile container succumbs to our efforts," laughed Fay.  
Miyu groaned, once again displeased with her partner's childish attitude. "As you can see, this is now a rather impressive weapon."  
"What kind of recharge time are we looking at here? And what's the drain on the battery?"  
"Roughly 4.2 seconds between shots and about 20 to a clip. Then again you're looking at enough firepower to put a dent in an Arwing's hull with each pull of the trigger." Miyu clicked on the safety as she talked, checking the power level of the battery as she did so.  
"Nice work. When are you going to roll it out to the staff?"  
Fay shrugged from the end of the room as the lynx formulated an answer. "We're not quite sure. We'd love to decrease the power consumption before upgrading everyone's firepower, so only time will tell." She brushed some speck of dust off her military uniform as she turned in Fara's direction. "In the meantime however, I'm giving this blaster to you. You'll get more use out of it than I will in here."  
Fara looked shocked. "Surely you could give this to someone else – the General perhaps. I'm just as grounded here on the base as you are at the moment anyway."  
Miyu's tone grew more serious for a moment. "Fara, you know very well that you're a damn fine pilot. Even though you don't have a ship right now, you know that you'll get a chance to fly again." She all but pushed the blaster into the vixen's paws as her tone reverted to normal. "Besides, Pepper already has one of these guns, as does all of security. We made sure about that to keep him happy."  
Fara sighed, accepting the weapon. "If you insist." She looked at the blaster, trying to figure out how to carry it as her holster was currently occupied by her regular gun. "By the way, is this registered with the base's security systems?"  
Fay laughed as Miyu shook her head. "While your gun isn't exactly registered, it won't set off the alarms unless you actually fire the thing. Well, short of here anyway."  
"Pepper learned that the hard way," giggled Fay as she continued to laugh. "Remember when the intruder alarms went off last week? That was the General testing out his new gun in the shooting gallery."  
"The old coot either forgot or didn't take our word for it. We told him to take it to security the first day." Miyu shook her head as she remembered the incident.  
Fara finally gave up searching for a suitable hiding spot and just stuck the gun inside her belt underneath her flight jacket. "I only have one problem you two – the security office won't exactly like it if I register a second weapon with them. And it's a tad hard to get to the Arwings as there is a weapon scanner installed right as you step out of either elevator."  
Miyu looked thoughtful. "Good points. I guess you won't be able to take it with you on any flights. At least until you can think of a good explanation anyway."  
"Call it a birthday gift or something," joked Fay.  
Fara glanced over at the canine and grinned. "That will go over well I bet." She looked back to Miyu as she continued. "Well, unless you two have something else to show me, I have a few other things I should be doing today."  
The pair shook their heads as the lynx said, "Possibly something else in a few days for you, but nothing right now."  
She nodded in response. "Thanks again you two. You keep my days here rather entertaining to say the least."  
Fay laughed. "We try. Talk to you later."  
Fara waved as she pushed the button to call the elevator, glad to have spent some time with the pair. "See ya."


	20. And One Big Problem

The Starfox team turning into ground combatants... While an interesting idea, the team has always been about them and their air superiority. Does that mean that they won't get any time on the ground? Not at all. Also, as others said, this fic is entirely based upon the original game and comics, so Star Wolf simply won't be making an appearance at all. Sorry.

One last thing - almost 100k words! I'm excited and stunned at the same time. Never figured that this would be so big. And I have so much more to write...  
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** Chapter 20: And One Big Problem**  
_Miyu and Fay are such the strange pair. They seem such the opposite of each other, yet they appear to work so well together. I wonder what gizmo they'll show me next._ – Fara

  
Meanwhile, the four Arwings suddenly appeared over the planet Papetoon in a flash of light, their engines decelerating from cruising speed. The craft slowed to a stop as Fox happily said, "Ah, home sweet home. So nice to see this place again."  
"Armed with enough firepower to take this planet back," said Falco as he continued the vulpine's train of thought.  
"I think there's a saying for this, Falco," said Peppy. "Vengeance is a dish best served with blazing blasters."  
Falco laughed. "Whatever."  
"Good old Peppy with his pearls of wisdom," said Fox. He sat there quietly in his seat, watching Papetoon slowly rotate in the distance. Even though it was little but sand and rock, it had its own beauty to those who looked deeper. "It's time to take back what rightfully belongs to us. Let's go, guys."  
With everyone so caught up in the feelings of revenge on their ravaged planet, nobody noticed that Slippy stayed abnormally quiet.

  
The four Arwings charged through Papetoon's upper atmosphere, their shields glowing brightly as they absorbed the heat they were generating. Fox smiled from inside his cockpit, watching as the desert landscape quickly came into view. "I think I can see our cave from here," he joked.  
"I don't think so," commented Peppy. "It should be located on the other side of the planet if these readings are correct."  
"Fine then. Don't let me have any fun." As the desert floor neared, Fox debated on leveling out his craft, but instead continued his dive towards the surface. Just a few dozen feet above the sands he pulled up, his engine and airspeed causing sand to scatter everywhere in his wake. It also flew right into Slippy's Arwing, which had been following him closely the entire time.  
The entire team noticed this oddity instantly, as the toad was not one to normally show off his piloting skills. "Nice stunt flying there, Slippy," said Fox as he lazily flipped his Arwing upside-down. To his surprise the other craft repeated the maneuver.  
That could mean only one thing. "Slippy's on autopilot still for some reason," said Peppy, quickly growing worried as he came to the same conclusion.  
The vulpine righted his Arwing, the other craft following. "This isn't good. Can one of you guys take a look inside?"  
"I'm on it," said Falco, being the closest to the unresponsive craft. He flipped upside-down, speeding up slightly to catch the pair. What he saw inside the Arwing did not please him in the slightest. The toad was currently slumped back in his seat, the restraints the only thing holding his unconscious form upright. As he pulled away from the craft, he told everyone the bad news. "Guys, this is bad. Slippy's out cold in there."  
Fox groaned, wondering what exactly had gone wrong. "Great. Not what I wanted to hear."  
"We need to land and see how he is," suggested Peppy.  
"I know." Fox peered around outside his craft, seeing nothing but sand and more sand in the general area. "Well, here looks as good as—" An alarm from his sensors interrupted his conversation, indicating that hostiles were approaching. He cursed his luck as he continued. "It looks like Slippy has to wait. All craft, 180 degree turn. Head back the way we came and floor it. Hopefully we can lose them."  
Falco seemed upset as he voiced his opinion. "What, we're not gonna stay and fight?"  
Fox wondered if his avian friend had a lick of common sense in his head. "Not when we have an Arwing trailing us on autopilot."  
"We can't just run like this though," said a concerned Peppy. "We need to take a look at our wounded comrade."  
"I know." The desert landscape flew by as the Arwings continued to out-distance their pursuers. "I have an idea. Falco, kick in your autopilot system and get Slippy to follow you instead of me."  
Falco surprisingly did as he was told without arguing. "Okay. Now what?"  
"Wait for the minute or so for the Arwing to start following you then get yourself back to Corneria as fast as you can."  
Much to no one's surprise, Falco was outraged at being booted out of combat like this. "What?! My place is here with you kicking ass on this planet, not escorting some sick pilot back home!"  
Fox quickly grew tired with his pilot's complaints. "Listen up and listen good, Falco, as I'm only going to tell this to you once. One – you are the only pilot here capable of engaging an enemy with a friendly following you if you encounter anybody on the way back. Two – as your commander, you will follow my orders. Understood?"  
If the avian had any objections to Fox's demands, he kept them to himself. "Fine."  
At that moment Slippy's Arwing broke away from Fox's craft and changed its heading to follow behind Falco. Noticing this, he swung his craft gracefully around, Peppy following after a moment. "Be careful, Falco," said Fox. "Get Slippy home safely and quickly."  
"I will." He boosted off into the upper atmosphere, Arwing in tow. "Enjoy the hunt. Make sure you fuck up these damned lizards."  
"The mighty evil empire will be devastated by the combined powers of the forces of good," said Peppy rhetorically.  
Fox laughed as his sensors once again picked up their opponents. "Peppy, are you sure you're not in the wrong line of work? Maybe a scholar or something would be more suited to your witticisms."  
"I'm so under appreciated around here," groaned the hare in response.  
"Glad I could help. Anyway, time to light up the sky. You're free to engage the enemy when you have a clear shot."  
Peppy moved his Arwing to one side, giving him a clear line of fire to the approaching targets. "Roger and wilco."  
Fox watched eagerly as the hostiles bared down on their position, pleased that he would be able to get back at the lizards that had been claiming the planet for some time now, pushing aside his worries about his injured teammate for now.

  
A few minutes later found the Starfox team's wing blasters cooling down after an aggressive assault against the forces engaging them. With a final spread of shots the last fighter exploded into a ball of fire, the charred remains drifting down to the sands below. "Nice shooting there, Fox," said Peppy as he moved into position next to the other Arwing.  
"Thanks," replied Fox proudly. "You're not too bad of a shot yourself, old hare."  
"I'll take that as a compliment." Peppy looked over the local map as he asked, "So now that we've disposed of the local riffraff, what's out first target?"  
"We're coming up to it now actually. It's one of the bunkers."  
Peppy suddenly swerved out of the way, dodging a laser bolt headed his general direction. "I think it's more like we're coming up to them."  
"I see it." Fox quickly adjusted his plan. "Let's just pass over the thing and see what the sensors pick up as far as weak points go on that bunker. Go in low to minimize fire."  
"Understood."  
The two Arwings skimmed the desert surface, sand scattering everywhere in their wake. Four sets of turrets fired as they approached, but the craft were simply too nimble to take anything short of a few hits. As they neared, the Arwings split up, each passing the base on a different side. Peppy reported first on what he saw. "I count a dozen flight capable craft and two double barreled turrets on this side."  
"The same on my end," said Fox. "Change that – the craft are launching."  
"Suggestions?" The thought of taking on a dozen times their number made him nervous.  
Fox swung his Arwing around and advanced on the base again. "Let's see if our little upgrades are working correctly. Firing a Nova Bomb!" Dodging turret fire from multiple directions, he lined up his craft for a shot. Hoping the engineers had successfully fixed all the bugs like they said they did, he depressed the fire button.  
After a short half second charging whine from the launcher beneath him, a Nova Bomb launched out of his craft, streaking towards the base. Going nearly vertical, Fox punched the throttle forward, his boosters glowing brightly as he escaped the incoming devastation.  
As expected, nothing survived the explosion. The turrets that were firing upon the craft detonated, debris shooting into the sky. The fighters that were attempting to launch disintegrated into nothingness, small chunks of ash and vehicle remains slowly drifting towards the ground. The two bunkers that held everyone were blown off their foundations, pieces of wall coming to rest all over the place.  
In short, there was nothing left of the base.  
Fox looked over the remains as they settled to the desert floor, realization hitting him as to how many people he had just killed with a touch of a button. "By the Creator, Peppy, what have I done?"  
Peppy's gentle voice took a moment before responding. "Remember that in war, there are only two sides – the ones who survive and the ones who don't. Keep in mind that they would have done the exact same thing to you given the chance."  
The vulpine seemed unsure that his teammate's answer was the correct one. "But this seemed different somehow. In combat the enemy has a chance to surrender, to escape. This was just wholesale slaughter."  
"Noticing that is a good thing. This shows that you not only have very good morals entrenched into your mind, but a conscience as well. This differentiates you from the average fighter jocks, and makes you what you are – a leader."  
Fox stayed quiet for a moment as he debated his mentor's thoughts. Was he right? It sure felt like it. Either way he'd simply have to deal with it, as there would be much more killing in his future if he continued onward with this war. "I see your point. Thanks, old friend."  
"I do what I can. Shall we go?"  
He gave one last look over the destruction he'd caused before pointing his Arwing towards their next objective. "Yes, let's. We have lots of people depending on us."

  
The day continued for the two Arwing pilots. Like how the hot desert sun would kill off any unprotected lifeforms, the team did the same, their blaster barrages destroying anything in their path. The pilots were en route to their final destination – Papetoon Planetary, the main starport of the planet. The place where their little adventure started only a few days ago.  
Fox looked outside at the desert landscape and was glad that he was protected against the blazing afternoon sun in his cooled craft. "Ah, the desert heat," he reminiscenced. "Makes me glad I'm in here right now."  
"That's one thing I'll never regret leaving behind," said Peppy. "The afternoon sun was almost hot enough to melt steel some days, much less us flying around in those hoverbikes."  
Fox laughed as he remembered his team's prior experiences in the desert. "Ah, yes. How could I forget the four of us almost roasting out here on more than one occasion?"  
"Those were the times." The hare looked at the rapidly approaching spaceport, glad that their mission was almost over for the day. "Shall we call down the transport here, Fox? Or did you have other plans for it?"  
"Oh yeah. Actually, I almost forgot about it." He fiddled with the communications, contacting the transport that was awaiting their signal. "Transport Horizon, this is Fox McCloud. Come in please."  
The commander of the squad was a battle-hardened lioness. She was pleased to hear his voice, as she and her team had become rather bored flying around the planet. "McCloud, this is the Horizon. Glad to see that you haven't forgotten about us."  
He had to work to keep a straight face at the irony. "Not at all ma'am. We're on our way towards Papetoon Planetary. Care to join us?"  
"Roger. What kind of resistance should we expect?"  
"Based on prior encounters, very little ma'am. That's why we're calling you in early."  
"Sounds like a plan. ETA is 15 minutes, so prepare a welcoming party for us. Also, please cut the ma'am crap. You make it sound like I belong in a retirement home or something."  
Fox laughed. "Understood. We'll be awaiting your arrival. Over and out."

  
Meanwhile, many a planet over, Andross was spending yet another afternoon looking over his war effort. While the Starfox team had put a dent into his overall plans, he knew that he still had enough of an advantage to wipe them out given enough time.  
And he had a plan.  
He always had a plan.  
All he had to do was wait for his incompetent lizards to accomplish it.  
A flashing light on the console he was working at caused him to smile. "Finally," he said quietly to himself as he accepted the incoming call. "Report."  
The voice on the other end sounded worried. "Emperor, sir, I have some bad news."  
Andross' mood soured quickly. "Explain."  
"We've just gotten reports from Papetoon – they've been attacked."  
The ape grumbled something incoherent under his breath before responding. "Have our defenses had any luck stopping them?"  
"No, sir. They've all pulled back to the main spaceport, and they're attempting to stage one final stand against them. There is one oddity though sir – there are only two Arwings attacking."  
Andross frowned as he sat back in his chair, debating on why there were so few forces engaging this planet. "Interesting. They must have taken more damage than we thought yesterday."  
"Sir, the troops are requesting further assistance. Shall we divert any of our forces…"  
Andross cut the lizard off with a growl. "No. We can't send in any reinforcements without giving away our position. We need those ships to wipe out McCloud and his cronies. That planet is of no real concern to me anymore as it is."  
"Understood, sir. I'll pass on the information."  
"Good. Get back to me when you have something I want to hear, like when those lizards have finished that mission of theirs."  
"Yes, sir. From last reports, our scouts are very close from tracking down that probe. They guarantee it'll be destroyed shortly."  
"For your sake, I hope so. Andross out." Shaking his head at the lack of intelligence of his lizard assistants, he made a mental note to acquire smarter help from the planets he had captured. He couldn't keep dealing with this level stupidity.


	21. The Transport Horizon

A simple warning before you start this chapter - it's a long one. It's an important one however, as it sets a few things in motion that we'll see a bit further down the line.

Also, incase you haven't noticed, I've broken 100k words. I want to thank each and every one of my reviewers, as I couldn't have done it without you. And thanks as always to those who read this fic as well. Hopefully you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it.  
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**Chapter 21: The Transport Horizon**  
_I worry about Fox some days. While it's nice to see he dislikes violence as much as I do, he also leads a team whose goal is to slaughter anything in sight that goes against its goals._ – Peppy

  
"Where are those shots coming from?"  
"I have no idea. Keep looking."  
In the meantime, the two Arwings had reached the spaceport, and to their surprise, found it far better protected than their prior targets. The pair was currently being assaulted by some unknown assailant. They hadn't encountered any airborne targets yet, but if either of them found that unusual, they were too occupied to think about it.  
Fox's computer display suddenly lit up, catching a glimpse of their target. "I found him. Oldest trick of the book, that punk." Boosting away from the spaceport for just a second, he quickly turned back around, bearing down on one of the hangers from the side. Just before crossing the hanger entrance he cut his engine, letting his momentum carry him as he pointed his craft towards the inside, opening fire with his blasters. The small, dual-turreted tank hidden within took only a few shots before exploding. As he righted his Arwing the turret tumbled behind him, coming to rest a few feet outside the hanger.  
"Nice work," complimented Peppy.  
Fox grinned as he remembered his final test in the simulators a few days ago. "Thanks. I remember someone else using the same plan recently."  
"Ah, yes." Peppy looked down at his sensors as another half-dozen tanks rolled into range. "It seems we've upset the local garrison. I count six more tanks heading our direction."  
"I see them," he replied as he moved into position to engage. "I wonder how many of these things Andross has access to on Papetoon."  
Peppy debated the answer for a moment as he approached firing range. "Judging by how many we've engaged so far over here, it looks like they've been holding back until now."  
Based on the debris scattered around the spaceport, Fox had to agree. "It sure seems like it." He opened fire on the tank, causing it to explode into a ball of flame.  
The next vehicle in line rolled over the remains of its ally, firing as it did so. The bolt of energy sped harmlessly past Peppy's Arwing as he dodged out of the way. The hare responded by returning fire, destroying another tank in the group.  
Their little victory was short lived however, as the transport they were supposed to be guarding came on the com line, heavily broken up by static. "This…Horizon…under attack…Repeat…need assistance…"  
Fox cursed as he went vertical, his boosters glowing brightly behind him, Peppy following his maneuver quickly. "Shit. I was wondering why there were so few fighters around here."  
"A simple reason and a difficult solution to follow up on after the fact."  
Shaking his head, Fox kept quiet over his friend's thoughts. Instead, he tried to contact the transport. "Horizon, this is Fox. We'll be there shortly."  
Static once again filled the pair's ears as the transport responded. "Roger…hurry…"  
The seconds ticked by as Fox wished his Arwing would go faster. He knew he should have kept better watch of the craft as it descended through the atmosphere, but he just assumed that any remaining defenders would be more interested in him instead of a simple transport. Unfortunately he was wrong in this instance, and it looked like it was going to cost him.  
The two Arwings could finally see the transport in the distance as they approached it from below. It was not in good shape. More than three dozen fighters were assaulting the much larger craft, while the Horizon was valiantly defending itself with only a pair of turrets. As Fox watched, one of the four engines on the transport exploded in a ball of fire, throwing the ship off course for a few seconds before the pilot could compensate.  
"Damn it," cursed Fox quietly. Quickly formulating a plan in his head, he said, "Peppy, fire a Nova Bomb towards the aft starboard side of that transport. I'll put one on the aft port side. We'll fire at them when they get close to get them to explode. Just make sure that the Horizon is outside of the blast area. Hopefully that'll get rid of most of the fighters."  
"Understood," replied the hare. "Ready for your signal."  
Changing frequencies, Fox told the transport, "Horizon, keep a somewhat straight line and don't turn back whatever you do. We're going to drop a pair of Nova Bombs in your wake to get rid of your attackers."  
"Roger," responded the exhausted sounding pilot, the overall signal much clearer due to the closeness of the craft.  
Quickly predicting where the Horizon would be in a few seconds, Fox lined up his shot. "Let's do this, Peppy. Fire!"  
The two Nova Bombs launched from the Arwings and streaked through the atmosphere, the balls of energy far brighter than even the desert sun. The enemy fighters ignored the weapons of their demise as they continued to swarm the transport. As if the pilots had a mental link with other, they fired simultaneously, their initial barrage striking the bombs dead on.  
As designed, they detonated, the shockwave from the displaced air rocking the damaged transport. To the nearby fighters however, the blast was dramatically more effective. The hostiles in the blast radius disintegrated as the explosion engulfed them while everyone else nearby was flung like a top, most suffering critical structural damage in the process. The Arwings shuddered as they passed through the turbulence, but remained unharmed.  
Fox did a quick count of the operational hostiles as he moved into position to attack whoever remained. Dodging a falling craft that was missing both its wings, he found his answer and told Peppy his findings. "Only nine enemies left for us to take down the old-fashioned way. Nice shooting."  
Peppy laughed. "Old-fashioned indeed. Nice plan."  
"Yeah." Fox shifted in his seat, making sure he was comfortable once more before issuing his attack order. "Let's take it to them."  
"Roger." Peppy peeled away from his teammate, blasters firing as he targeted the nearest enemy. Fox quickly followed suit, engaging one of his own.  
The pair quickly eliminated their targets, the fight all but taken out of their opponents after they lost more than three-quarters of their numbers in a matter of seconds. As the enemy craft either exploded from blaster-fire or tumbled down towards the planet after taking critical damage, the pilots noticed two craft suddenly break off and head towards the atmosphere as fast as they could. "Should we chase them down?" asked Peppy as he engaged his current target.  
Fox shook his head as he watched the two speed off. "No, let them go. We've done enough killing for one day."  
"We still have a few targets more to clear out down below you know."  
"I know." Firing his blasters, Fox's final target exploded, debris raining to the sands below. "A pilot's work is never done. You finished over there, Peppy?"  
The hostile the hare was engaging exploded from a well-placed shot to the engine. "Mission accomplished. Now to follow the Horizon down."  
Fox had another idea however. "Peppy, why don't you provide escort for the transport. I'll clear out anything that remains down below."  
"Understood. Give me a call if you need anything." The hare boosted off towards the Horizon.  
"I will. You do the same if you need it." Changing direction back towards the spaceport, Fox kicked in his boosters, his Arwing quickly speeding off out of sight.

  
Meanwhile, somewhere in the depths of space, a squad of lizards had stumbled upon what they had been searching for the last few hours – one of Corneria's coveted spy-probes. The oddly shaped oblong device sat motionless in space, trying to remain oblivious to the happenings around it.  
The officer in the group grinned when he heard the report from his subordinate that the probe had been found. Knowing that his team would be well rewarded by the destruction of the device, he gave the order he had been waiting to say all day. "Destroy that probe."  
"Yes, sir." The lone lizard that found the device opened fire on the probe, the rest of the group converging on the officer, eager as he was to get back home. The lizard looked shocked as instead of the probe exploding, it suddenly came to life, desperately gathering and transmitting information in its final moments.  
The officer looked at the operational probe and quickly grew worried. "All wings," he barked, "destroy that device!"  
The group of twelve converged upon the probe, every craft firing their weapons in an attempt to obliterate it. In a matter of seconds the thin armor of the probe gave way, the device exploding into a small fireball. "Target demolished, sir," said one of the lizards.  
The officer calmed down, glad to be rid of yet another obstacle in their conquest of the galaxy. Worried that Andross might view the probe activating as a failure of his mission, he said, "About damn time. None of you saw that probe become operational, correct?"  
One of the simpleminded lizards didn't take the hint as he replied, "I did, sir, as did—" His comments were interrupted as the officer suddenly opened fire on his craft, the shots missing him by only a few feet.  
The officer tried again. "As I said before, none of you saw that probe operational, correct?"  
The group quickly realized the correct answer. "Yes, sir," was their collective response.  
"Good." He couldn't believe the stupidity of the naive pilots he had on his wing. "All craft, return to base."

  
Back on Papetoon, the Horizon was on final approach to the spaceport. "Arwings," started the commander, "this is the Horizon. Are we cleared for landing?"  
Fox swooped around the spaceport, having enough time to make one final pass before the transport landed. He surveyed the destruction below him as he replied. "Looks clear down here. Mind the mess though as you land."  
The pilot looked out through the canopy at the devastation the Arwings had caused while the commander looked over his shoulder. "Looks like they had a very nice reception waiting for us here as well, McCloud. Nice work."  
"Thanks."  
"We'll be down in a minute. Horizon over and out."  
Fox changed frequencies as he spotted Peppy circling the transport. "Did I miss anything out there?"  
The hare stretched as best he could in the confines of the Arwing. He had been sitting far too long in one place to his liking, and he knew that it would only get worse as they traveled farther out with each assault. "Nothing at all, thankfully."  
"Good." Completing his pass over the spaceport, he turned towards the Horizon's expected landing spot. "Thinking on towards our final mission, what do you think is the best way to contact the resistance here? Short of landing at one of the former slave camps and talking to the locals anyway."  
"I'm not sure, Fox, but that's going to have to wait for just a bit."  
The vulpine sounded concerned as he came back on the line. "Oh? Why?"  
"Nothing to worry about. I just want to check up on the crew inside the transport before we move on."  
"Good idea." While he watched, the Horizon came to rest on an unobstructed part of the main runway, its thrusters shutting down in a puff of smoke. "I'll keep watch up here then."  
"Roger. I'll get back with you shortly." The landing gear on Peppy's Arwing deployed as he approached the ground. Finding a debris-free spot a few yards away from the transport, he brought his craft in for a smooth landing. He quickly hopped out, giving no more than a wave in Fox's direction as he walked towards the Horizon as it opened its main hatch.

  
Upon exiting his craft, the first thing Peppy noticed was the oppressive heat bearing down on him from the sun above. While he was used to it from his time on the planet, it made it no more of a shock to go from a climate controlled 70 degrees in his Arwing to the 110 degrees or so it was currently in this desert summer.  
Shielding his eyes from the sun, he turned and waved towards Fox, letting him know he was fine. Looking over the many scorch marks on the Horizon's hull, he walked towards the craft. "I just hope the inside looks far better than the out," he muttered to himself. As he neared the transport, the main hatch on the side opened, the hull folding downward to turn into a gangplank of sorts.  
Peppy watched as dozens of troops quickly filed out of the Horizon, all of them jogging past his position as they surrounded the craft, guns pointed menacingly towards the sky and any piece of debris that looked like it could hide a hostile. Waiting for a minute to make sure his path was clear, he walked into the ship. The lioness commander greeted him with suspicion as he entered. "I take it you're Peppy Hare?"  
The hare nodded slowly, responding as he did so, ignoring the pair of soldiers that he heard follow a few steps behind him. "My skills and knowledge are at your disposal, madam."  
A smile appeared the gruff looking exterior of the commander for just a moment before returning neutral once more. "I see we have someone who speaks as well as they fight. Most unusual." She looked to the back of the transport for a moment as her ears picked up some sound of sorts. "But enough of the talking. You're here to help, and help our medic needs. Come on." She motioned for him to follow as the lioness quickly walked towards the back of the ship.  
Peppy had heard the same sound that the commander had heard – one of a creature howling out in momentary pain. Following the commander, he looked around the ship. A quick glance around told him what he needed to know – this was designed to be a transport and nothing more. Sporting no amenities short of seats and handholds, this vessel's purpose was to simply carry a large number of troops from place to place quickly.  
Walking into the last chamber at the rear of the craft found not only the source of the pain, but the probable cause as well. In the center of the room on the floor was a gray furred wolf that looked like he had been too close to some kind of explosion in the transport. A large, burnt out section of the back wall, near where the engine that detonated earlier, seemed to be the probable cause.  
Peppy blanched as he looked at the condition of the soldier. Large sections of his fur were either charred or burned completely, giving the wolf a very disheveled look. Currently tending him was a male canine, his medical bag sitting open next to him. Looking at Peppy with a harried glance before going back to his patient, he said, "I hope you're the help the commander said was coming."  
"I am. Although I think your teammate there is beyond my knowledge."  
The medic gestured towards the side of the room, where a half-dozen soldiers of varying size stood. "Are you trained in treating minor to moderate burns with the latest treatment devices?"  
While he wasn't exactly current with Corneria's latest medical advances, he doubted that too much had changed. "That I can do."  
"Good. Pardon the mess as you work. There's another medical kit just outside this room as well." He quieted down as he continued to try to save his current patient.  
Peppy took another glance at the injured wolf as he gathered the nearby emergency medical kit. From his mostly untrained eye, he could tell that the creature was clearly not going to make it unless they got him to a better medical facility. Or else he'd need a miracle. And neither were in abundance on this near wasteland of sand and rock.  
"Then again medics are considered miracle workers," he muttered to himself as he came back into the room, med kit in paw. He noticed something that his initial glance missed the first time around – a once tan blanket draped in the corner of the room, obviously covering someone, or what used to be someone. Blood spots were visible in multiple locations, making his guess rather accurate. Shaking his head sadly at the loss of a life, he looked once more at the injured wolf before setting down his kit and getting to work on the other wounded soldiers.

  
Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty, as Fox waited anxiously in his Arwing on the roof of one of the few structurally sound hangers left in the area. It allowed him to conserve fuel, while still being able to have advanced notice on any incoming craft. He yawned loudly, wishing that he could do something interesting instead of just sitting around.  
From his vantage point, he watched as the soldiers broke off into groups of what looked like 10 each, each team scouring through a different part of the spaceport. The teams came back one by one with surprisingly usable equipment, ranging from smaller hover-based equipment lifts to a few hoverbikes that invoked some memories from missions past in Fox's mind. Other groups deployed the equipment and transportation they brought with them while a few individuals attempted repairs on the ruined engine. Trying to keep himself entertained as best he could by listening to the chatter between the teams, he stifled yet another yawn.  
As the 60-minute mark from when Peppy landed neared, Fox became extremely restless. Contacting the transport, he said, "Horizon, this is Fox. Is everything okay down there?"  
To his momentary surprise Peppy replied to his hail after a few seconds. "Fox, Peppy here. Could I have you come down here for a few minutes before we leave?"  
The vulpine quickly became concerned over the unusual request. "Sure. Anything wrong?"  
"Nothing's wrong," reassured the hare. "I'd just like to show you something."  
"Okay. Be down in a minute." Still pondering over Peppy's odd communication, Fox searched for a suitable spot for his Arwing near the transport.

  
Elsewhere, Andross was sitting inside his control room as usual, waiting for one of his lizards to deliver something to eat. In the meantime, he was looking over the inner workings of his latest plan to finish off Corneria once and for all. He seemed pleased for once as his plans were beginning to fall together. All he had to do was wait.  
All he seemed to do nowadays was plan and wait.  
His headset came to life as his staff tried to contact him. "Andross here," he said gruffly.  
"Emperor, this is control. I have some good news for you."  
The ape smiled. "Finally. I'm listening."  
"I have two things for you, sir. First off, our scouts have reported that one of Corneria's probes has been destroyed."  
"Excellent. What's our fleet status there?"  
"Approximately 80% of the fleet that you requested is currently there and ready for combat. ETA on the remainder is less than ten hours."  
"Good." Andross made a quick mental calculation in his head. "That gives those fools some seven hours their time before our fleet is fully assembled. We'll see how well those blasted Arwings stand up against the might of the Venomian fleet."  
The advisor kept silent for a bit, listening to another conversation as it crossed his board. "That leads me to my other topic sir – we've acquired the data you've requested on the Nova Bombs."  
Andross' eyes opened wide with shock for a moment as he thought about the implications of what he'd just heard. "Now that is some good news. Tell me the details."  
"Yes, sir. From what I've been able to gather so far, two fighters on Papetoon were nearby when the Arwings fired. Surviving the explosion, they realized that the data they had was far more valuable than fighting a losing battle. They ran off and contacted our fleet nearby."  
"Blasted cowards," he growled. "I'm amazed that they didn't get shot down as they tried to flee."  
"According to them, it seems that the Arwings allowed them to escape."  
Andross kept quiet at that remark, trying to think how he could exploit that inherit weakness in Fox's attitude. "Interesting. That fool McCloud just caused more problems than he can imagine due to his kindness. Have that information sent to me immediately."  
"Yes, sir."  
"Anything else to report?"  
"No, sir."  
"Good." Andross' stomach suddenly rumbled, souring his good mood slightly. He decided to get that problem solved quickly. "One last thing – find out where my lunch is and tell him or her to get over here with it. Andross out." He sat back in his chair, smiling with glee as he now knew a weakness of the great McCloud. He just needed a way to exploit it.  
All he had to do was think up a new plan. Something which he was doing quite a bit of as of late no thanks to McCloud and his cronies.

  
Somewhere at the other end of the system, a light was blinking. While one little flashing light might not mean much to some, this light in particular meant quite a bit to those who deemed it necessary to blink at a time like this. This light was connected to a little used computer console inside a base. Corneria Base. This was no ordinary light though. It had a simple, yet powerful purpose – to let anyone on duty know that one of the spy satellites had been destroyed, and that it had transmitted some interesting data that needed to be looked at immediately.  
Unfortunately the pair that was currently on duty in the command center never saw that blinking light. Normally a light flashing was a very easy thing to notice. But when there's something on top of the light being considered, that made it nearly impossible. The object in question was nothing more than a file folder, filled with a few reports for Gary and the General to read when either of them next came in. The staff there thought nothing of the folder's placement as that terminal was never used by anyone while they were around.  
If the folder was never there, then they would have seen the blinking light. If they saw the light, then someone would have known about the destruction of the probe, and the information about the fleet that would be bearing down on them shortly.  
Then again, the only pilots who could do something about it weren't available either.

  
Looking like he's done this all his life, Fox McCloud nimbly jumped out of his Arwing onto the cement surface of the spaceport. After making a quick check of his craft, he walked the short distance to the transport, passing by multiple soldiers who gave him nothing more than a glance and a nod in greetings. He entered the ship, almost running into the commander in his hurry to find out what exactly Peppy called him down here for. "Good afternoon," he greeted with a nod.  
"Afternoon yourself," said the lioness as she returned the greeting. "And another one of the Arwing heroes comes and visits my command."  
Fox shook his head, forestalling any other unneeded comments about what he and his team were doing for the system. "No offense, but I'm just as much of a hero as your soldiers here are. Remember, they're doing the hard work here on this planet today. Not us."  
The commander smiled for just a moment, wondering if the entire Starfox team was just as modest as these two. "If you insist. Your partner is waiting for you in the back of the ship." She pointed the way, waiting for him to go before walking off the transport to check something with her crew.  
"Always the hero who can't do any wrong," muttered Fox quietly as he walked through the ship. Reaching the rear of the craft quickly, he saw Peppy and what looked to be the ship's medic conversing quietly outside the rear chamber.  
The hare waved as Fox approached, a tired look on his face. "Afternoon ,Fox. Sorry to make you wait like that."  
"No problem." The medic walked into the room behind him, leaving the two alone for the moment. "What's up?"  
Peppy leaned up against the nearest wall, closing his eyes to try to restore some of his strength. "I've just gone through a half hour that I'll never forget."   
Fox cocked his head in confusion and concern. "Care to explain?"  
"I just know that I'm not cut out for hospital work." He opened his eyes and noticed the confused look in Fox's face. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I just spent the last half hour with the medic in here trying to save someone's life." He looked down to the floor in dismay. "We failed."  
Fox's eyes rose in shock. "What happened?"  
The hare waved Fox into the room, walking in himself as he did so. "Remember when we saw that engine explode on the transport? It sits right near the corner of this room." He pointed out the burned out section of room, exposing melted steel and wiring. "There were two soldiers sitting in that corner, doing nothing wrong short of being there. One died instantly from the explosion. The other we tried to perform a miracle on."  
Fox blanched, imagining what it would have been like to be there. He looked over at the medic, who was currently in the middle of the room trying to clean up the place, then saw a once tan blanket lying on top of what he assumed were the bodies. A look passed over his face, a look of resolve and determination. One that Peppy never liked seeing on his face as it meant that he was going to do something very unusual in just a moment. "I want to see them. I want to know everything you know about them."  
As expected, the hare wasn't pleased to hear what was just asked of him. "Why?"  
"So I have a visual memory of what happens when we fail a mission like this." His look turned to one of anger. "So I have a memory of who Andross has killed when I get out there and kick his ass once and for all."  
Sometime during the conversation the commander had returned, silently leaning against the wall inside the entrance of the room. The three others looked over in momentary surprise as she spoke up. "I'll tell you what I know, but it isn't much. Daryl, if you would do the honors."  
The medic nodded as he moved towards the blanket. "Sure thing, Ayne." Peeking under the cover, he turned back towards the pilots. "Are you sure you want to see this? This isn't exactly pretty."  
Fox nodded grimly. "I do." Peppy nodded silently, having already seen what was underneath when he helped move the body there in the first place.  
Taking grasp of the blanket, the canine pulled it down, exposing a wolf from the waist up. He was an older gray lupine, his fur burned off in large chunks. The expression on his face showed that his death came slow and painful, but that he fought for every minute he had left. The lioness quietly said what she knew. "This older wolf was a loner, but he did his job well. O'Donnell was the only name he went by. Not even I knew his first name. He was a faithful soldier though, and had possible leadership potential. I and the rest of the crew here will greatly miss him."  
The medic chirped in with a medical overview. "As you can clearly see, loss of life occurred from massive external and internal burning due to the explosion taking place right next to him. Your teammate and I tried our hardest to save him, but in the end we simply didn't have the facilities needed nearby."  
"Poor guy," said Fox as he closed his eyes in remembrance. "Horrible way to go."  
"Agreed," said Peppy sullenly. He stood there, debating on another of his sayings, but realized that it would be completely unacceptable considering the circumstances.  
"Cover him up if you would," said Ayne as she looked upon the body sadly. "And let's get this over with."  
"Okay," replied Daryl. "I'm not going to reveal much more than the face on the other due to extensive injuries."  
"Go ahead," said Fox as he steeled himself for what was to come. He was not prepared for what he saw though as the blanket dropped, revealing the victim's head and shoulders.  
It was Fara.  
Or at least someone who looked remarkably close to her.  
"Wow," Fox said in shock as he stared at the vixen's face.  
"Frightening resemblance isn't it?" asked Peppy quietly, knowing exactly what the vulpine was thinking. "Darker fur though, and a different curvature of the snout. But it sure resembles her."  
Fox stared long and hard at the face, making sure he wouldn't forget the pain she must've gone through. He wondered what he would do if he lost any of his comrades, especially Fara, in combat as the commander went over the details. "This young vixen had a ton of spunk for her age, and while she was hard to control at times, she always knew how to make us laugh when we needed it. Her name was Rynn. I think she would've done well had she been given more time in this world."  
The medic covered her back up, unable to look at the friendly face any longer. "Rynn here was sitting directly in front of the explosion when it occurred. According to the rest of the crew here she died quickly. But not fast enough." He shook his head sadly. "Loss of life occurred from massive internal injuries from flying debris for the most part."  
Fox turned around and slammed his fist against the metal wall. "Damn it," he said quietly. "One little mistake costs us this – our first fuck up in this war." He turned towards the commander and looked her in the eyes. "Why didn't you call for us sooner?"  
Ayne held Fox's gaze wearily as she replied. "We called for you as soon as we first spotted them. They simply came out of nowhere. Our best guess is that they had some kind of dampening field around them, keeping us from scanning them as they approached."  
Peppy came up behind Fox, putting a paw on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "We're not perfect you know, Fox. We all make mistakes. These things happen."  
The vulpine shrugged off the paw as he leaned against the wall, sighing as he did so. "Unfortunately, everyone thinks we can do no wrong. The entire system's hopes are lying on our shoulders right now."  
"Look at it this way," said the lioness, trying to see what she could do to improve the mood of Fox. "We've lost a total of two soldiers out of two companies of sixty apiece. Not even the best military commanders can boast results like that."  
"You don't understand," said Fox as he looked towards the commander, unable to believe what he was hearing. His mistakes had just killed someone. "We screwed up. We got two of your crew killed in the process. We—"  
She cut him off with a wave of her paw. "No. You saved our lives out there. If you hadn't been there, we would all be dead by now." She grew quiet as she heard her headset come to life. Listening for a moment, she responded by saying, "Understood. We'll be there shortly."  
"What's the news?" asked Peppy.  
"My troops have located a working communications tower, and it seems like it has the ability to transmit planet-wide. Do either of you know what frequencies the rebellion groups might use on this planet?"  
The two pilots looked at each other and shook their heads. They looked back at the commander as Fox said, "We were relative unknowns as far as the rebellion went. We got most of our missions through an empty building in the middle of one of the smaller towns. We rarely met anybody, much less talked to them."  
The four worked their way out of the transport as Ayne asked, "You were part of the rebellion here? Interesting. Any code words you might of used when leaving or receiving messages?"  
"There were a few." Fox wasn't exactly in the mood to go over his experiences as a rebel, so he kept quiet as to that part of the question.  
Peppy spoke up from the rear of the group. "Don't forget that news article from a few days back, Fox. It made the news here, so odds are somebody would know about us."  
Fox nodded. "Good point."  
The group left the craft, everyone feeling the effect of the desert afternoon heat immediately. Fox shielded his eyes from the sun and wondered just how late it was back on Corneria. He'd forgotten to check the chronometer insider his Arwing as he landed, but he guessed it would be roughly the same time back home based on long he'd been on this mission already. And he still had more work to do, even though he wanted nothing more than to go home and cool himself off in the shower in his room. "Ah, the desert heat. And here I thought we'd never have to go back to it."  
"At least not this quickly anyway," said Peppy as he tried to find some sort of shade.  
The commander got the directions to the tower and led the way along with a dozen of her troops as protection. Trying to gather some information about the pilot's experiences on the planet, she asked, "So, if you don't mind answering, what was life like as a rebel?"  
Fox shook his head, not wanting to go over his experiences, and frankly tired of trying to prove to everyone that he wasn't a hero after describing them. Fortunately for him, Peppy spoke up. "Nothing too exciting. We blew up a few buildings, killed some lizards, and basically raided more convoys than we could count. You couldn't imagine just how many of the basic necessities we returned to their rightful owners, at least as far as the planet went anyway."  
"Sounds like you've had all the fun," said Ayne, almost wishing for the life that these two had. While she had enjoyed her life in the military so far, it was a limited one thanks to Corneria's policies about the war. As it was, this was the most action she'd seen in months.  
Fox finally decided to speak his mind. "Not fun. Dangerous. With as many missions as we did, I'm surprised we haven't gotten ourselves killed yet. Personally, flying is safer as far as I'm concerned."  
"No offense, but I'd much rather have my feet on something much more stable any day of the week."  
Fox shrugged. "To each their own."  
The large group reached the communications tower quickly, everyone climbing to its upper floor. The room was a cross between a control tower for anyone landing in the area and a communications room for a good chunk of the planet. It looked like it has some modifications to it from Andross' forces, giving it not only the power to reach the entire planet, but interplanetary access as well. A pair of soldiers was looking over one of the terminals as they entered, saluting as they saw their commander.  
Ayne saluted back. "I take it this is the terminal for planetary communications?"  
The pair nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It's received a few upgrades beyond the standard configuration, but the basics are still the same."  
"Good." The commander walked up to the terminal in question and activated it, setting it up for the pilots to use. "McCloud, do you want to do the honors?"  
Fox groaned. "Lovely, another speech. This is becoming a habit it seems."  
"It's good for you," chuckled Peppy. "It'll prepare you for all the speeches you'll be doing once we win this war."  
"Very funny."  
Ayne passed a headset to Fox, who put it on after a moment's thought. She pointed to a switch on the console as she said, "Flip this when you're ready. Hopefully we'll get some kind of response quickly from the locals, as something tells me you'd like to get back home."  
"That is an understatement, unfortunately. Saving the galaxy is a busy job." The lioness smiled at the joke for a moment while Fox debated on everything that needed to say. Collecting his thoughts, he continued. "Okay, I'm set."  
"Tell the world what you think."   
Fox shook his head as he turned around and stared out into the desert around him. Giving one last thought about what he was going to say, he flipped the switch on the console and started speaking before he lost his nerve. "Good afternoon, everyone on Papetoon. Well, at least it's afternoon to anyone who's at the same part of the planet as I am right now. This is Fox McCloud speaking, leader of the Starfox team."  
Ayne listened into her headset while Fox talked, passing along a thumbs-up to the vulpine indicating that the communications were working properly. "We hail from planet Corneria," he continued, "which used to be the only planet still outside Andross' clutches. Starting right now, that has changed. As you may or may not have known, Corneria has decided to attack Andross' rule over this solar system. So far, I'd like to think we've done rather well."  
As Fox continued to talk, Peppy walked up to him and said quietly into his ear, "Let them know where we are."  
He nodded as he continued. "For those of you who haven't traced down this signal yet, we're currently located over at Papetoon Planetary. Corneria has provided some troops to help wipe out any pockets of lizard resistance you might encounter as you fully reclaim this homeland as yours. So if you need them, you're more than welcome to either ask in person or by communication. Although, after the numbers we killed earlier today, I can almost guarantee that there isn't much left."  
Fox glanced around the room for a moment, half expecting the consoles that indicated incoming communications to light up. He then realized that it just wouldn't happen unless he did a few other things first to gain the population's trust. "Now, I realize that you think this might just be one giant trick by Andross and his cronies to get what little resistance there is on this planet to come out. So, time to pass a few tidbits around to those that would recognize them."   
He took a breath as he remembered a few things about the missions his team did. "First off, for those that get the rebellion paper, you might remember a photo of a group of four standing in victory over a bunch of lizards in a transport a few days back. Those four are the current pilots of the Arwings, all under employment of the Cornerian Military. That's me in the middle of the shot."  
He paused for a moment, letting that tidbit sink in to those listening. "And for those who didn't see the paper, you might know me as my code name that our team has used here on Papetoon for many a month – Desert Cobra. If that name doesn't convince you that I am who I really am, well, nothing will." Fox paused again, watching as some of the terminals in the room sprung to life as people attempted communication with the starport. Soldiers moved quickly to take the calls as he kept his speech going.   
"Interesting. Judging by the calls we're suddenly receiving, I see that my code name is still known in these parts. It's nice to be remembered. Anyway, to those who have forgotten, this is Fox McCloud, part of the Cornerian Military, and I'm signing off. May you enjoy your newfound freedom as much as I have in giving it back to you. Wish us luck as we continue our conquest to recover the rest of the system."  
Yawning after giving so long of a speech, Fox took off the headset, dropping it back onto the console. He looked around for Ayne, surprised that she wasn't standing nearby. Instead he found Peppy, who had taken a seat at a console next to him. "Have you seen the commander?" he asked. "I want to get out of here."  
The hare pointed towards the far end of the room. "The troops had her take one of the first calls personally."  
"Odd." Fox watched as the lioness stood up and walked their way. "Are we done here?" he asked as she neared.  
Ayne shook her head. "I'm sorry, McCloud, but the main resistance faction here wants to see you in person. When that happens, they'll give the all clear to the entire planet."  
Fox groaned, upset at having to stay even longer. "Lovely. How long before they get there?"  
"A half hour or so. Fortunately for you they're nearby."  
"Good. Now to wait."


	22. The Resistance

This chapter is brought to you by somebody who's done a wonderful commission piece so long ago for me in the Starfox fandom. Whenever I needed a bit of a push to move forward, this piece of art provided the perfect inspiration. Take a look at it here:

www.deviantart.com /view/3677098/

Note the extra space in the middle of the link. I needed to put that there to dodge FF.net's filters. And as the saying goes - it looks far better in person. A bit of the image got cut off in the scanner as well.

And to cerebral-ultimate - no, that wasn't the Wolf that most people know. More like his father, or somebody closely related. In short, it gives me a rather good reason to bring Wolf's little team into existence if I choose to do so.  
----------   
  
  
**Chapter 22: The Resistance**  
_I hate speeches. I really do. I also hate being the focus of everyone's hopes. I'm just one person doing his job, nothing more. Sure, that job involves saving the entire system, but that's not the point._ – Fox

The time passed quickly for everyone as they prepared for the arrival of the resistance members. As it was nothing more than a simple meeting to confirm that the pilots and troops really existed, no special plans were made other than just being available. The Starfox team decided it would be best to be in their Arwings, not only to show that they were the pilots in question, but for protection as well incase something went wrong.  
Both Peppy and Fox were currently sitting in their craft, awaiting the signal letting them know when the others would arrive. "The joy of waiting," mused the hare.   
Fox yawned inside his cockpit, trying to catch some shut-eye. The fact that he was keeping his craft cooled down wasn't helping matters much. "I'm surprised you aren't trying to take a nap or something."  
"Unlike you, Fox, I can't sleep everywhere. The Arwing is a nice craft, but it is not comfortable enough to doze off in."  
The commander's voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. "All troops, this is Ayne. Situation update – six hoverbikes have been spotted approaching from the west. Keep your weapons down but have them ready if you need them. These should be our friends incoming. Ayne out."  
"Finally," said Fox. Popping the cockpit open, he stood up, looking into the late afternoon sky as the cool air wafted out of his craft. Glancing towards the sun for a moment, he guessed there was a good hour or so of sunlight left. Straining his eyes, he could barely see a dust trail in the distance, being created by the approaching craft. "Time to look your best, old hare. I see them coming."  
"Thanks." Peppy followed suit, opening his cockpit as well. He stood up and stretched, giving himself a quick shake to fully revitalize himself. He then proceeded to say something that struck the vulpine as odd. "Fox, are your shields up?"  
He already knew the answer to that question without looking. "No. Why?"  
Peppy wouldn't give much of an explanation, which worried Fox greatly. "I'm not quite sure. Something's nagging me, and I think it has to do with our approaching friends."  
"You've never been wrong before. I hope you are in this instance though, but I'll still raise the shields." Pushing a button on his console, Fox heard a faint hum as the Arwing's defenses sprang to life around him.  
The hare followed suit. "Same here, Fox. Same here."  
The pair of pilots stood tall and proud as the six hoverbikes approached. The compliment of troops around the transport waited, their rifles held with military precision over one shoulder, ignoring the heat. The bikes came to a halt about a hundred feet from the transport, Ayne walking out of the vehicle as they dismounted.  
Fox looked over the six as they approached, guns at the ready. They were a very mismatched group at first glance. A tan furred male tiger walked at the front of the group, eying everyone with suspicion. A striped zebra and a dark brown badger followed right behind their leader. The last three were composed of a heavily armed canine, carrying what looked to be a small missile launcher and a rifle, and a male and female vulpine, both armed with rifles as well.  
"Nice looking group," commented Fox to his partner.  
"Agreed," said Peppy. "Talk about heavily armed for what is nothing more than a simple mission to verify who we are."  
Fox watched as Ayne moved past her soldiers, walking towards the group with only a pair of guards as protection. Unlike the six, the lioness and her group had their weapons holstered. "This doesn't bode well."  
"Ayne knows what she's doing," said the hare. "Besides, that group is vastly outnumbered and outgunned if they try anything."  
"We'll see what happens. Just be ready for anything."  
"Understood."  
The commander had left her headset transmitting, so her soldiers and the pilots could hear everything going on around her. "Good afternoon everyone. My name is Ayne, and I'm the commander of this group you see around me. We hail from Corneria as part of their military. As you can see, we are clearly not part of the lizard scum that used to inhabit this planet."  
"You can never be to sure in this day and age," growled the tiger as he gestured with his rifle to prove his point. "You mess up just once in this position and you find yourself dead."  
"I see what you mean." She looked at the weapon the tiger was holding menacingly, eying it for a make and model. "You can put that gun down you know. We're all friends here."  
"Nervous?" The tiger seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being in control.  
"No," replied the commander, her face neutral as she attempted to keep the situation under her control. "I just worry about your people and the ones under my command. That weapon of yours going off suddenly would bring down the house so to speak."  
The pilots watched and listened to the banter between the two, trying to figure out where exactly this was going. "Something's wrong," Peppy said. "This is supposed to be a simple recon mission. They're drawing it out far more than they need to."  
"Agreed," said Fox. His mind was on other things as the two leaders continued to talk. He knew something was completely wrong with this entire speech as well, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it.  
"A credit for your thoughts?" asked the hare, noticing the silence.  
"Give me just a second." Fox looked over the group of six, trying to figure out what he thought was disturbing him. Ignoring the leader for the moment, he looked over the others. The zebra and the badger were eying the crowd warily, their weapons held so they could be used at a moment's notice. They looked to be nothing but guards for their boss. The canine was clearly the heavy weapon expert and nothing more. That only left the two foxes. "Peppy, ignore the leader for me. What's your opinion on the group as far as their roles are?"  
Peppy stayed quiet as he looked over the six, his years being an advantage as far as being able to judge the character of a person. "The badger and zebra are definitely guards. Notice their stance and how they keep their weapons aimed at different sides of their boss, giving the best angle of fire."  
Fox continued to watch the two vulpines in back. They both seemed to have an indifferent air about them as they glanced around, but he could tell that they were taking in everything they saw and heard. He even thought he saw the male of the pair wince for an instant as the leader said something that he missed. "I agree with you on them. Go on."  
Peppy continued his diagnosis of the group, although he still couldn't figure out why Fox wanted his opinion. "The badger looks to be the gung-ho type, based on his weapon of choice. If I had to make a guess, he's used that missile launcher of his before, and he's not afraid to use it again. And if his teammates suddenly duck, I'd say it was time to worry."  
Fox had to laugh over his friend's choice of words. "I just hope this doesn't come to that," he said seriously. "What about the last two?"  
The hare took a good look over the last pair. They were both of average height and build, covered with dark red fur. They simply stood there, looking around at their teammates and at Ayne. "Nothing too special about them. They're not guards of any sorts, and they aren't armed any differently than the basic weapon of choice for the rest of the group. It looks like they're simply along for the ride." He paused for a moment, realizing what he'd just said. "Which makes no sense whatsoever."  
"Exactly. Which one of them is the true leader then?"  
"So that's what you've been getting at the entire time." Peppy looked closely over the pair as he silently wished that Fox would get to the point quicker some days, instead of beating around the bush. "Without knowing anything else about them, or their actions, I'm going to take the biased answer unfortunately. My guess is on the male."  
"The biased answer indeed," said Fox with a laugh. "Why would they be deceiving Ayne then?"  
"Protection. Never reveal yourself unless you have to, especially when facing the unknown."  
"I see your point. Time to get this little charade over with as I want to get back home." Waiting for a quiet moment down below, he changed who he was talking to on his headset and said, "Ayne, this is Fox. We need to talk, now."  
The commander noticed the urgent tone in his voice and politely excused herself for a moment, her guards following. "What is it, McCloud?" she asked in an annoyed tone, not pleased as to how this meeting was progressing.  
"To put it bluntly, you aren't talking with the leader."  
"What?" she exclaimed as she turned towards Fox. Her expression changed quickly as she figured out what he was getting at, her tail sweeping back and forth in anger as she stared at the rebels. "Those vulpines in back, acting all inconspicuous, right? Blasted little…"  
Fox could clearly see that she was furious, even at this distance. He tried his best to calm her down, knowing that her survival could be at risk if he didn't. "Ayne, don't go berserk on them. They're being careful, that's all."  
"Like hell I won't. Which one of them is the boss?"  
"Unfortunately, I don't know for sure."  
"More of a hassle for them then. Thanks for the info. Ayne out."  
With all the grace of a lioness stalking her prey, she turned and stomped back towards the group. When it became clear that she wasn't going to stop at the supposed leader, the guards made a move to stop her. Roaring, she shoved both of them out of the way, the badger dropping to the ground from the blow, while the zebra stumbled yet stayed upright. The canine took one look at Ayne's face and wisely decided to stay out of her path. The two foxes, realizing that they were the goal of the commander, stayed still while the other four pointed their guns at her back. Her guards stood some distance away, unsure of what to do. "Which one of you is the leader here?" she bellowed.  
The tiger quickly grew upset at being ignored. "I'm the leader you pompous—"  
He quieted instantly as Ayne suddenly spun around, her blaster in one paw, pointed directly at his head. It happened so quickly that nobody had any idea how she'd drawn her weapon. "If you seriously think that you're the boss," she hissed, "then you are the sorriest bunch of rebels I've ever laid my eyes on. You couldn't talk yourself out of a wet paper bag." Ignoring the weapons pointed at her, she holstered her own, turning back around. "Now I'll ask you again as I'm sick and tired of you wasting my time. Who is the leader?"  
The male fox put up his paws, an apologetic look on his face. He spoke in a calm voice, trying his best to cool everyone down. "My name is Rif, and I'm leader of the entire rebellion here on Papetoon." He smiled as the female came to his side, putting one arm around him. "This cutie here is Rhene." He ruffled her headfur for a second before a more serious look passed over his face. "Look, I apologize for my partner's actions before. I never knew he would turn into such a temperamental hothead." Glancing around to his team, he gave the order to stand down. "Guys, drop your weapons. We're with friends here."  
Ayne crossed her arms as she heard the sound of weapons returning to their holsters, ignoring the fact that she could have been easily killed during her confrontation. "Now we can get down to business. What's with the screwing around? You can clearly see we aren't with that damned bastard Andross."   
"I find that I tend to live longer this way. Unfortunately I've lost quite a few of my so called doubles since the war started, so I've had to do this." The fox looked towards the setting sun, shaking his head as he realized just how much time he'd spent here so far. "I can tell that we've wasted enough of your time. Let's get this over with."  
"Finally, somebody who sees things my way. Come on, I'll show you around." She turned around, walking towards the rest of her troops. Everybody followed, listening in on what she had to say. "You can clearly see the transport we're approaching. Total soldier compliment is 120. We have ground transportation for about half of our crew right now, and we can move the ship easily enough if need be."  
"Nice compact ship," said Rif as he looked over the transport, his gaze coming to rest upon the one destroyed engine in the rear. "Looks like she's seen a battle on the way down though."  
The lioness nodded. "That it did. The two Arwings, on your left there, saved our lives thankfully."  
Rif took a good long look at the craft in question. The Arwings sat there in the late afternoon sun, speckled with the sand and dust that covered nearly everything on the planet. The two pilots stood proudly in their craft, looking over everything nearby. Pointing at the closer of the two Arwings, he asked, "So that's Fox McCloud in there, correct?"  
Ayne looked over where the vulpine was pointing. "That's him in the fur. Shall we pay him a visit?"  
"Considering that's what I'm here to do, let's go."  
The group turned towards the Arwings, looking over the craft as they approached. "We're on our way, McCloud," said Ayne quietly into her headset.  
"I see you," responded Fox. "It'll be nice to meet my so called boss after all this time." He looked around, noting how relaxed everyone seemed to be now that the resistance members had turned friendly. The soldiers looked completely at ease, a few of them chatting with each other now that things had turned friendly. A few others were still going over the destroyed engine, but it looked like they had given up on any chance of repairs for the time being.  
Suddenly his computer yelled at him, indicating that his shields had taken a hit. Concerned, but not seeing any kind of laser fire, he was about to run a diagnostic when the computer screamed again, this time recording the hit on a different side of his Arwing.  
It also figured out what exactly was striking his craft. Some type of small metal projectile had impacted against his shields at great speed.  
Something that would describe an old school sniper rifle, almost undetectable due to do a lack of an energy trail from more conventional weapons.  
Something that could still be available on this semi-backwater planet if one looked hard enough.  
His computer complained once more as it took yet another bullet. Having no other recourse at the moment, Fox yelled into his headset, "Sniper! I repeat, sniper!"  
That shout brought everyone to an uproar. Fortunately the soldiers were well trained as they promptly scattered to any defensible position around them. The resistance members and the commander sprinted towards Fox's Arwing, ducking under one of the wings for cover, the vulpine quickly readjusting his shields so he didn't vaporize the group. The communication lines were surprisingly quiet as everyone waited for orders, other than the obvious mission to search for the aggressors.  
Ayne did her best to keep everyone calm. "If anybody has any answers on where those snipers are, give me a yell."  
Everyone stayed quiet. As did the shooters.  
"I can launch and possibly find them with my sensors from above," suggested Peppy.  
"Do it. Kill them if you find them. Collateral damage is acceptable if it happens."  
"Yes ma'am. Launching now." Dust and sand scattered everywhere as Peppy kicked in his engines, getting off the ground within moments.  
In the meantime, Fox closed up his cockpit, knowing that the plastics his viewing area was made out of probably wouldn't absorb a bullet if his shields failed. He just felt safer somehow doing so. Hooking up to Peppy's Arwing, he used its sensor readings in addition to his own in a desperate bid to find the hostiles shooting at him.  
Despite Ayne's attempts to restrain them, the resistance members down below were searching for the snipers as well. Each member had pulled out an electronic binocular and was using them to scan the nearby rooftops.  
Suddenly the last thing that any commander wanted to hear was yelled over the coms. "Soldier down!"  
Ayne cursed silently before telling her troops, "Everyone inside the transport, now! The snipers have every advantage out there!" Her soldiers quickly complied with the order, hustling back into the safety of the craft. Seconds later there was nobody outside short of the six resistance members and Ayne and her two guards, all hiding under the relative protection of Fox's Arwing.  
There were also three dead bodies left behind, their crimson blood leaking onto the desert sands.  
"We now know that there are three of them out here," said Ayne grimly as she surveyed the carnage.  
Fox's computer blared at him again, indicating that the snipers had resumed attacking his Arwing. He watched his shield indicators drop as he continued to take hits. "Guys and gals, the shields on the Arwing don't seem to be designed to take ballistic weaponry like this. You're going to lose your protection shortly as I'd like to avoid being killed. No offense down there."  
"None taken because I don't blame you," said Ayne.  
Rif suddenly spoke up as he ducked back behind the wing on his side. "I've found a target. 268 degrees by 3 degrees vertical."  
The canine nodded as he ducked underneath the engine, coming to where the fox was. "I'm on it boss." He poked his head out for a moment to acquire a visual of the target. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, "Collateral damage is fine by you, correct?"  
Ayne nodded, angered by the loss of her soldiers. "You can take out half this starport as far as I'm concerned."  
"A female after my own heart," he commented with a smile. He hefted his missile launcher into the air, double checking the weapon before firing it. "Fire in the hole!" he yelled as he set the weapon onto his shoulder, stepping far enough into the open so he had a clear line of fire. Setting up the shot in a matter of moments, he squeezed the trigger, rapidly ducking back as a sniper round impacted near his feet.  
The missile shot out the launcher, white smoke trailing along behind it as it sped towards its target. The target in question was the rooftop of a storage building. As the missile neared, Fox thought he saw somebody attempt to run to safety.  
It wasn't going to happen though as the missile found its target. The resulting fireball engulfed the front top part of the building, parts of roofing material and anything that was still stored there hurtling into the air in burning chunks. The group cheered as they watched the carnage from their location.  
"That's one down," said Ayne quietly.  
"I've found the second," said Peppy. "Engaging to your southeast."  
Everyone looked in the direction indicted as Peppy made a single pass. The hostile was shooting from the top of a vehicle hanger. Or at least was once a hanger as the hare made short work of the building's roof. It took only a few shots before the hanger, which wasn't designed to resist blaster fire, crumbled in on itself, a small fire visible in the debris.  
"Nice shooting," said Fox. "No rest for the weary though as I've picked up the third. Check your display."  
"I see it. Moving on." Gracefully Peppy swung his Arwing around, bearing down on his final target, which was using some smaller storage containers off to one side of the spaceport as cover.  
This lizard wasn't going to go quietly however.  
From Fox's vantage point, all he saw was a missile suddenly clear the smaller containers and speed towards the incoming Arwing. Peppy simply didn't have the time to even think about dodging before the missile found its target. The explosion engulfed his craft completely as he vanished behind the larger buildings in the area.  
"Peppy!" yelled Fox. Completely forgetting the others below he began to go through the preflight sequence in a near panic. "Peppy, please respond!"  
Static was heard over the com lines for a few seconds before resolving into his friend's voice. "I'm okay, Fox," said Peppy weakly. "Thankfully, the shields held."  
Fox sighed in relief. "Good to hear. I thought I almost lost you."  
"Not that easily." The hare's voice turned angry all of a sudden. "On the other hand, this little pipsqueak of a lizard isn't going to remain for much longer." Boosters glowing brightly behind him, Peppy turned and dove towards his target, firing recklessly instead of his usual well-placed shots.  
The others watched as the Arwing came back into view, firing constantly. His shots widely missed their target, striking anything nearby. A few open containers exploded as they were hit, and a building shuddered from missed shots. Not caring in the slightest, Peppy continued his wild assault.  
Fox quickly grew worried at this sudden change in attitude from his more reserved and calculated teammate. "Are you okay, Peppy?" he asked in a concerned tone.  
The hare stayed silent.  
"Shit," Fox cursed to himself. Hoping that his friend would simply calm down after he eliminated his target, he continued to watch through the sensor data the Arwing was transmitting. The lizard had panicked after firing his only shot from his missile launcher, and was currently running from building to building just trying to find some kind of cover. Fox watched as the lizard came to a halt next to an old fuel container, ducking underneath it for protection.  
There was only one problem – it wasn't empty.  
Peppy noticed this fact through his sensors, much to the lizard's dismay. The hare fired continuously at the container, stopping only when it exploded into a fireball, taking out the creature in a blazing inferno.  
"Nice work," said Fox, hoping that Peppy would revert to his normal self quickly.  
The hare continued with the silent treatment as he turned and approached the landing zone.  
"Ayne," said the vulpine, "I've lost contact with Peppy."  
"In more ways than one it seems," she responded. "I've seen this before in some soldiers – first combat jitters when faced with a near death situation."  
"That would make sense if we hadn't been through incidents like this before." He sighed, greatly worried about his friend. "While I doubt it'll happen, be prepared to run if he starts firing on anything else."  
"Will do."  
Everyone watched as the hare accelerated for a moment, passing over the transport at a high rate of speed. He slowed, making a wide, banking turn as he approached once more. Fox checked over his shield levels, satisfied to find that he could take a few shots without being in too much danger. "Come on, Peppy," he said to himself. "Snap out of it."  
The hare came in low as he neared, looking like he might attack. The Horizon's upper turret tracked the Arwing as it came into view, the gunner inside knowing that he might have to defend himself. Fox held his paw over the final buttons in the launch sequence, ready to jump into flight if he needed to.  
Retro-rockets blazing brightly, Peppy passed over the transport by only a couple of yards, quickly slowing to a landing a few feet from the other Arwing. Fox looked over to his teammate, who promptly closed his eyes and slumped back in his seat. Cursing, he powered down his craft, waiting only for the muted hum of his systems to quiet before popping open the cockpit and leaping to the ground below.  
"I'll send some soldiers to keep an eye out on you," said Ayne as Fox sprinted to the other Arwing. "We're going inside to get everything over with. Thanks for all that you've done."  
The vulpine only waived his paw in response as he reached his destination. After tossing a small rock against the Arwing to ensure that the shields were down, he flicked a hidden switch that caused a small ladder to fold out on the side of the hull. Climbing it, he opened two small panels just underneath the cockpit, revealing the manual release handles for it. Pulling both simultaneously, the cockpit opened upward with a hiss. Taking one look at Peppy's exhausted face, Fox asked, "Are you okay?"  
"What do you think?" replied the hare quietly without opening his eyes. "I lost control out there. I…I've never had anything like that happen before."  
Fox felt odd consoling what he always considered his mentor. "Peppy, things like this happen. Ayne suggested—"  
"No offense to her or her experience," interrupted Peppy, "but her ideas have no merit in this situation." He raised his paws, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up. "We've been in far worse, Fox, and you know it."  
"You're right. You're always right." He grinned as he watched the last vestiges of the sun vanish behind the horizon. "How about a combination of factors then?"  
The hare opened his eyes and looked into his friend's concerned face. He still couldn't believe that he had just fallen apart like that. There had to be a good reason, but the answer was something he did not have for once. "That's a possibility. As far as days go, this was rather the problematic one."  
"That is an understatement."  
Peppy looked past his friend at the happenings behind him. Not only were there a pair of soldiers watching to see if Fox needed their assistance, but there were a pair assigned to each of the corpses still lying on the landing area. The rest of the crew had split into groups of three, and were currently investigating every single building and storage area to make sure a repeat of what had just occurred wasn't going to happen. Ayne and her entourage had vanished into the communications tower, and were hopefully finishing the mission. "I hate to sound like I'm complaining or something, but can we go now? I'm in desperate need of some time outside of this Arwing."  
Fox smiled. "Now that's something that I can agree to. One second." Flipping on his headset, he asked, "Ayne, do you need us any more, or can we depart?"  
The commander was slow in responding as she was in the middle of another conversation. "McCloud, your team is free to go. Papetoon is as safe as it's going to be for right now thanks to your efforts. Now we just need to get rid of the few stragglers that remain on the planet, and that's far outside of your mission requirements."  
"Good. We're leaving then. You know how to contact us or Corneria in general if you need further help."  
"That I do. I thank you both again for your assistance. Without you we would not all be here right now. May your recovery of the galaxy be as successful as this attempt was."  
"Thanks. Fox out." He ended the communication without a further word. Smiling, he told Peppy, "We're clear to go. Let's get the hell out of here."  
Peppy smiled weakly back. "About time. I'll follow you out."  
Fox nodded as he climbed back down the ladder, closing it up as he reached the bottom. "I'll be ready in a minute." Turning, he jogged back to his Arwing, practically vaulting into his craft as he was so overjoyed to finally get back home.  
The Arwing almost leapt off the ground as Fox kicked his engine to full power as soon as everybody vacated the area. Peppy followed right afterward, both craft going into formation as they charged through the atmosphere.  
They both heard the voice of Rif as he told the entire planet of their success. "Attention all citizens of Papetoon, this is Alpha One. As you might have heard earlier, Papetoon is ours again. Therefore, to put it into code words that you're all expecting to hear, let me put it this way. Project Papetoon One is complete. I repeat, project Papetoon One is complete. The mission is a success thanks to a pair of outstanding pilots from Corneria, whose names are Fox McCloud and Peppy Hare. Our hopes and dreams lie on these pilots as they continue to return the entire system back to their rightful owners. Give your prayers to them in your hearts. Alpha One, out."  
The two Arwings escaped the planet's atmosphere and entered the blackness of space, both pleased to hear the kind words from Rif. Setting the computer to chart a course back to Corneria, Fox had to say one last thing on his mind that had been troubling him somewhat. "Peppy, I have thank you for something today."  
"Oh? What's that?"  
"Your suggestion to keep my shields raised saved my life earlier. I owe you one."  
The hare stayed quiet for a moment before saying anything. He sounded almost worried when he finally responded, thinking that this might have been the reason behind him falling apart like he had. "I'd thought you say that. The odd part though is…" He grew quiet again, concern growing in the vulpine quickly. "This will sound strange to you, Fox, but it felt like somebody told me to make sure the shields were up."  
Peppy's announcement came as a shock to Fox, as while he had said some strange things and suggestions to the crew in the past, this was the first time the hare had tried to explain any of it. "Now that really is strange. Is this the first time you've heard these suggestions?"  
"Fox, I can tell exactly what you're thinking – I'm not crazy. You remember the other times I've said unusual things out of the blue? Those were along the same lines, but this time it was more of a direct telling. I…I really can't explain it."  
The two Arwings continued to hurtle through space as Fox debated on where to take this conversation. "Well, Fara did jokingly ask if you were psychic. Maybe you are."  
Peppy refuted that statement quickly. "No. I've just had these feelings of things over the years. I can't tell the future or talk to the dead or anything like that. Just a feeling of what to do. Short of this time anyway." He paused again for a moment. "It felt like someone was talking to me."  
Fox tried to remain as unconcerned as possible, but he was worried about his friend's sanity. "Interesting."  
"I'm just as confused about this as you are. I probably shouldn't even have told you this as now you have something else to worry about."  
"No, it's good to hear. It explains a few things at least."  
Peppy sighed. "Can I ask you not to tell anyone else about this conversation though?"  
"Sure, no problem. Something tells me that Falco and Slippy…" Fox stopped suddenly, realizing that he had forgotten about his injured teammate so many hours ago. "I had completely forgotten about Slippy in all the excitement. I hope he's okay."  
Peppy was just as shocked as Fox was. "Wow. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's had that incident slip their mind."  
Fox looked down at his computer, the screen indicating that the flight plan had been ready for some time now. "Let's go home."  
"Agreed." After a few seconds, the two Arwings accelerated and jumped to near lightspeed, their forms disappearing in a blur of light.


	23. Home Is Where the Problems Lie

And the story continues. For those of you wondering just what exactly Andross had planned, you're about to find out. And it ain't pretty. Best of all, for those Fara fans in the audience, she's about to leave the sidelines and make a comeback for a while. Why? You'll have to read on.  
----------   
  
  
**Chapter 23: Home Is Where the Problems Lie**  
_That little speech of Peppy's really worries me. While I trust him at what he said about it, I wonder if there isn't some part of him that's a little crazy. At least we're home. I need a shower and a good night's sleep badly._ – Fox

  
It was well past nightfall Corneria time when the pair finally landed, both nearly exhausted and wanting nothing more than to get a bite to eat and to drop off to bed. They also knew that there was no chance in that happening. They had been in discussion with the base for the last few minutes, finding out that their injured teammate was for the most part fine. The pair still wanted to see him though.  
Stepping off the last rung of the fold out ladder on his Arwing onto the metal floor, Fox looked around to see if he could find somebody from the engineering staff. As luck would have it, Cyrus was already on his way over. Eyeing the Arwings for any kind of damage, he greeted the vulpine. "'Tis looks like your craft are in fine shape tonight. Did the new design on the Nova Bombs hold up well in battle?"  
Fox nodded. "That they did. I need to lodge in one complaint though."  
The badger tilted his head to one side, giving the pair a confused look. "Your ships look to be in perfect health, my lads. What 'tis the problem then?"  
Fox shook his head as Peppy walked up. "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with the Arwings. Just a comment about how the shields work. They're rather weak against ballistic type weapons, like small-arms fire."  
Now Cyrus was definitely confused. "Lads, nobody uses ballistic weapons in his day and age. Everything is energy based nowadays. Those types of guns were banned years ago due to them being environmentally unsafe compared to your average laser pistol."  
"Tell that to the lizards who were using Fox's head as a sniper target," said Peppy.  
The badger quickly grew concerned over that fact. "'Tis not good to see that fact come out like that, but 'tis a known problem."  
"A known problem?" exclaimed Fox incredulously. "My head was almost blown open like a melon and it's yet another design flaw?"  
Cyrus raised his paws to quiet down the vulpine. "'Tis not a design flaw, more of a design limitation. The shields do a very good job defending against energy weapons as the power of the shot is shared amongst most of the shield grid. This allows the shields to not take as much of a hit as multiple areas have taken only a bit of damage."  
"A sound design move," said Peppy, understanding the badger's reasoning. "Why make the defensive systems work harder than they need to?"  
"Exactly," nodded Cyrus. "Against ballistic firepower though, and this includes missiles as well, the shields have to work to keep the weapon from getting through. The shield grid simply cannot work together in this instance. So one portion of the shields are greatly reduced with each hit, forcing the system to work much harder to compensate for the damage. It can be adjusted to defend better against ballistics or energy, but not both. That requires a far more massive shield system than can be fitted onto these Arwings."  
Fox opened his mouth to argue, but quickly realized that there was nothing else that could be said or done about it. "I guess you're right. It doesn't make me feel any safer though."  
"But like I said, lads, nobody uses ballistics anymore, so there isn't much to worry about."  
The pilots turned to leave. "Thanks for the info," said Fox. "I'd love to stay and chat, but we have an injured crewmate to look in on. And then a date with the General if I had to make a guess."  
Cyrus nodded. "Aye, that you do. Although the General wanted to see you as soon as you landed. Not anytime afterward."  
Fox smirked as he said, "Then we haven't landed yet, if you get my drift."  
Thankfully for them the badger knew exactly how demanding Pepper could be some days and was more than willing to help them out. "Aye. Just don't take too long."  
"We won't." The pair waved as they walked off. "Catch you later."

  
A quick elevator ride later found the two pilots walking into the medic bay, eager to see their injured pilot. Upon arriving however, they realized one thing rather quickly – Slippy wasn't there.  
Devan was currently on duty this night, the hare waving to the pilots from the side office. He stood up and came over to them, a datapad in one paw. "Evening, folks. What can I help you with?"  
"We were looking for one of our pilots," said Fox as he took one last look around the room. "His name—"  
"Slippy Toad, right?" interrupted Devan. "Amphibian about shoulder height, abnormal green complexion, came in here real sick about early afternoon?"  
The pilots smiled. "That's him," said Fox. "Although the green skin is rather normal for him."  
"Judging by how he looked when he came in, I doubt that." The medic shook his head as he realized that the pilots were more than likely in a hurry. "Sorry, he's not here right now. We felt that him getting plenty of rest in a more comfortable bed than the ones we have here was a good idea."  
"What's wrong with him?" asked Peppy.  
Devan glanced at the datapad he was holding for a moment. "Nothing more than a simple bout of an acute infection caused by the influenza virus."  
Even Peppy stayed quiet at that statement, as his knowledge was surprisingly limited in the medical area. "Care to translate for us non-medical types?" asked Fox.  
"Sorry. Basically the flu. One of the engineers he was working with last night came down with a less severe version of it yesterday. I sent him back to work." He looked at the pad again. "Methinks I should have kept him another day."  
Fox looked glum for a moment as he realized that he would be without a pilot for a bit. Fortunately, he could call upon Fara, who he guessed would be more than happy to get back in the cockpit. "Lovely." He looked at the datapad that Devan was once again glancing at. "What's on the pad that has you so interested?"  
The medic looked up. "Oh, this thing? Remember that wristband I used the other day? It's connected to the medical bay here, and to this device. It allows me to keep an eye on everyone hooked up on one." He looked at it again, pushing a few buttons. "Incase you were wondering, your pilot is currently awake and in his room. I told him to get to sleep early though, so I don't know how late he'll be up. It is highly unlikely that you'll catch what he has if you're only there for a little while."  
"Thanks," said Fox. He turned to leave, but then realized that he had something else to ask. "How long do you expect Slippy to be out of action?"  
Devan debated on that answer for a moment before saying anything. "Good question. He was in pretty bad shape when he came in, so I don't expect this to be over with that quickly." He shrugged as he gave his opinion. "Best guess is two or three days, even with the latest in Cornerian medical technology."  
Fox nodded. "Thanks again. Gotta go." Waving to the medic, the pair left, working their way to their friend's quarters.

  
"So then there were three," said Peppy as the pilots walked down the plain white hallway. "I take it that you're putting Fara into the empty pilot's seat, right?"  
Fox nodded. "She'll be glad to get back into the skies again I'd imagine."  
"I'd assume so. She looked quite depressed when we ran into her earlier."  
"No kidding." Fox remembered the very moody look Fara had on her face for just a moment before she realized that the rest of the team was in front of her earlier in the day. It was not an expression he liked seeing on anybody. In the meantime though, he had other things to worry about as Slippy's door loomed by the both of them. Pushing the call button on the door panel, he said, "Slippy, you awake? It's Fox."  
Their friend's voice sounded exhausted through the speaker. "Yeah, I'm up. Door's open."  
The door swished open, admitting the pair. They walked in, staying near the doorway, noticing the toad buried underneath the covers on the bed. "Evening, Slip," said Fox.  
The toad smiled weakly. "Hey, guys."  
"You look like hell."  
Slippy coughed for a moment, letting everyone know his opinion with a groan. "I feel like I've been run over."  
"What happened?" asked Peppy. "You looked somewhat exhausted earlier, but I didn't expect this out of you."  
"I'm…I'm not quite sure. I remember getting into the Arwing this morning, but…everything after that is just a blur."  
Fox looked at his sick friend, feeling sorry for the toad. While he was rarely sick himself, he could relate with the few times he had fallen under the weather. "Well, Slippy, I'm glad to see that you're okay at least. Unfortunately, Pepper's been looking for us from what we hear, so we shouldn't delay him any longer."  
"Okay. Guys, I'm sorry about all of this."  
Fox shook his head. "Don't be. These things happen. Besides, Fara will be more than willing to take care of your Arwing in the meantime. You just concentrate on getting better."  
"I will." He coughed again, silencing him for a moment. "Kick some Andross tail in my absence, okay?"  
The pilots laughed. "We will," said Fox. "Just to let you know, Papetoon is ours again." He waved. "See ya."  
The pair turned and left, leaving their sick companion behind as he tried to get some sleep.

  
As the mess hall was only a few doors down, Fox and Peppy decided to make a quick stop and pick up a bite to eat before their meeting. As expected, the place was completely empty short of the lone cook for the rare late night orders. Neither was in the mood for a full meal, so Fox just picked up a random muffin while Peppy acquired an apple from a pile of fruit.  
Taking their newfound meals with them, the pair walked back to the elevator, munching on their food as they went. "Slippy looks terrible," commented Fox around a bite.  
Peppy nodded as he swallowed his mouthful. "The common cold, when mutated multiple times from different carriers, can quickly turn into something that can knock down the strongest of defenses."  
Fox rolled his eyes once more at his friend's words of wisdom. "Once again I'm amazed at your ability to think up sayings like that on the fly."  
They reached the elevator at that point, both of them going in and watching the door close. Peppy pushed the button to travel upwards as he said, "It's a skill that takes many years of practice, my friend." The elevator moved upwards as he continued. "Slippy looks like he'll be fine though in a few days. It'll just take time."  
"As advanced as Cornerian medicine is, it can't stop things like the flu." The elevator came to a halt, both pilots quieting as they awaited the door to open up for them.  
To their surprise, it didn't open right away. Instead, they were startled to hear Fara's chipper voice sound over the speaker in the control panel. "Evening, guys. How goes the war?"  
Fox smiled upon hearing Fara's voice. It was something he'd missed, even though he'd never admit it. "The war has gone well so far," he said happily. "Papetoon is now ours once again."  
"All right!" she exclaimed. "I knew you could do it, even without a full compliment of Arwings."  
"Thanks."  
"Excuse me, you two," interrupted Peppy. "We do have a meeting to get to you know. Is there some reason to this idle chitchat here instead of in our rooms?"  
"Fine then," chided Fara, "don't let me congratulate you." She paused for a moment, giving the pair a chance to wonder why she had suspended the elevator ride. "I bring some unsettling news to you both – Pepper's pissed off something fierce right now."  
"Well, that's not good," said Fox as he looked over to his teammate. "I wonder why?"  
"Considering it came just after a mission," commented Fara, "it leaves me with little idea as well. What, did ya kill something or someone that you shouldn't of?"  
Fox looked glum, the deaths of the soldiers coming back into his mind. "Yeah."  
Fara's cheerful voice changed to a more sodden tone quickly. "Ouch. I won't keep you then. Good luck, and if you want to talk afterward, I'll be in my room. By the way, there's a trashcan in the first room on your right. Nobody's inside, and it's right behind the door."  
"Thanks," said Fox.  
Without another word, the elevator doors opened for the pair, allowing them to move on to the meeting with much more dread than they had before.

  
"Good evening, Starfox team."  
The two pilots had arrived at Pepper's briefing room. He had surprised them both by actually being there before them for once. With a neutral tone and showing no facial expression at all, he continued what he had to say after the pair sat down. "Looks like Cyrus kept you a bit downstairs."  
Fox nodded, not wanting to explain his delay as the General was clearly not in his usual jovial mood. He changed his tone to one more serious than usual as well. "That he did, sir."  
"I'll have to talk to him about that," he said mostly to himself. "I said immediately, and I meant it. No matter." He looked both pilots in the eyes as he continued. "I have a few things to say tonight, but I'll keep it short as no doubt you have other things to do. First off, congratulations on the recovery of Papetoon. While this is only the first planet out of many in the system, this shows that you're more than capable of doing what needs to be done."  
Both pilots smiled at the approval, knowing that they deserved it. "Thank you, sir," said Fox. "It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it."  
If Pepper had any comments of his own he didn't reveal them to the team. "Needless to say, I'll need you, Junior, to do another interview like last night after this. For my second point, your teammate Slippy is doing as well as can be. You might want to pay him a visit afterwards to check up on him."  
Fox worked hard for a moment to keep from laughing. "We'll do that, sir."  
"Good. Now for my main point." He paused as he clasped his fingers together, making sure he had the pilots' attention. "I hear that things didn't go as well as they should have on Papetoon. I don't ask much from those under my command, but I do expect one thing from them – discipline as far as following orders and common sense goes."  
The pair clearly realized where this was going to go, but they kept quiet as Pepper continued to talk. "Because you were both doing things other than your lone objective of guarding that transport, a total of five good soldiers lost their lives today."  
Fox sensed that the General was done with his thoughts for the moment. He decided to interrupt him with the correct answer. "Two, sir."  
Pepper grew angry and confused at the same time, knowing that there wasn't any room for debate. "There were five soldiers killed," he said quietly, as if warning the vulpine to keep quiet.  
Fox simply wouldn't take the hint. "Two that are directly our fault, sir."  
Pepper grew enraged at how Fox wasn't able to understand such a simple concept as basic numbers. "There were five soldiers killed!" he yelled, putting great emphasis on each word as if the vulpine were deaf.  
Peppy winced as he shrunk back in his seat, having a very good idea as to what was going to happen in just a few moments.  
Fox for the most part was a very calm and polite person. He was the type that would sit and listen to your complaints and do whatever was needed to solve them. However, when things were said about him, his character, or those that were under his command that were untrue, or if things happened around him that offended him greatly, odds were that he would go ballistic doing something about it.  
This was one of those times.  
Fox stood up and began yelling back at the General with such suddenness, and with such force, that it left Pepper momentarily stunned. Which was a good thing, as otherwise the shouting match that would have ensued would probably have knocked down a few walls before abating.  
"There were two soldiers that were killed while the transport was undefended in the air! That was directly our fault! The other three were a result of sniper fire while we were grounded as we waited for the resistance members to come visit the Arwings! As it was, if it wasn't for Peppy here, you'd be looking at me in a body bag right now! On top of all that, I went and looked at the soldiers that I got killed, to make sure that I wouldn't forget their faces! I know what I did wrong!" Thoroughly disgusted with the General and with what he'd just done, Fox dropped down onto his chair with a huff.  
Pepper sat there, absolutely stunned that he had just been yelled at by a subordinate. He raised a paw, clenched it into a fist, took a deep breath, and prepared to give Fox the biggest verbal thrashing of his life. Before he could say anything though, images of this exact same scenario, except with Fox's father sitting in front of him, flashed through his mind. Yelling at the older vulpine never accomplished anything, short of raising his blood pressure. He realized that yelling at the younger one wasn't going to do any good either.  
Instead, he swiveled in his chair, staring at Peppy, his gaze boring right through him. "Is this true?" he asked quietly, knowing that the hare wouldn't hide anything from him.  
Peppy blinked a few times, shocked that the pair hadn't started the worst shouting match of all time. He had seen this happen before with James, and it was something he expected to see again today. "It's all true, sir," he responded after a few seconds, hoping that this wouldn't escalate further.  
Pepper closed his eyes and sat back in his chair, debating on what to say to the pair. The seconds ticked by as time itself seemed to slow. Finally, his eyes opened as he looked at both of the pilots. "Get out," he hissed in a near whisper.  
Fox spoke up, trying to apologize as he realized just how bad of a position he was now in. "Sir, I can…"  
The General interrupted him with a wave of his paw. "Get out," he said again. "I'll deal with you later," he added almost as an afterthought.  
Not wanting to anger the canine further, the pilots stood up and left his office as quickly as they dared.

  
"That went well," said Fox quietly once the door had closed behind them. The pair hurried back to the elevator, wanting to be anywhere but where they were right now.  
"You do realize that you need to learn to control your temper, Fox," said Peppy bluntly. "That attitude is going to get you killed or worse one of these days."  
Fox grumbled as he looked at his friend, the hate just pouring out of his voice. "I've been shot at in my Arwing, had my head used as a target, watched others die around me, and I've just yelled at my boss. Are you going to give me the fifth degree as well?"  
Peppy almost lost his cool at that point as they entered the elevator. He also knew it was still Fox's rage talking, and not his usual self. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he responded. "Fox, listen to yourself. Taking your anger out on me, or anyone else that you know, will cause nothing but hardship for you and those you call your friends."  
The vulpine turned and smashed his fist against the wall as the elevator descended to their quarters. "Damn it!" he cursed. It took a moment, but finally he sighed, his common sense kicking back in again. "You're right, old friend. As always."  
Peppy was pleased to see his teammate calmed down, but there was more that he had to say. "You need to find a better way of getting rid of your anger, or you need to stop blaming yourself for everything that happens so you don't create it. It just isn't good for you."  
"I know. It…it's just so hard some days. So much has happened so far in my life, so many hardships to overcome." He sighed again, taking a moment to think over his short life so far. "It's like the whole universe is against me some days."  
Peppy smiled weakly. "But you have friends, comrades, all who are willing to help you. Use them, talk to them. Don't let your problems stack up like that."  
The elevator slowly came to a halt. "I guess if I didn't have the entire system watching over me, watching my every mistake, I could just take these missions as what they are and not worry so much."  
The doors opened, allowing the two pilots to exit. They walked down the hallway as they continued to talk. "But think of the rewards, Fox. You'll save millions of people, people who would be damned into a life of eternal slavery if it wasn't for you."  
Fox shrugged, not sure what to think. "Yeah, I guess."  
The pair reached the door to Peppy's room, the hare turning and opening it up. "Just sleep on it. You'll feel better in the morning. I hope that this whole thing will have blown over by then as well. Good night."  
"'Night." Fox looked around the empty hallway for a moment, debating on what his friend had said. Thinking back to what Fara had mentioned earlier, he decided to pay her a visit.  
Still upset at his outburst at the General, he passed by his teammate's rooms before reaching Fara's. He only got as far as touching the call button to let her know that he was there before her voice chimed in over the loudspeaker. "Hey Fox, come on in."  
The door slid open at his request, allowing him to see Fara's room for the first time. While it looked like the same standard room that the rest of them had, she had made some slight modifications to it owing to the fact that she had been there much longer than the rest of them. A more comfortable looking bed resided near the entrance, sticking out into the room, while a small nightstand with a book on top sat next to it. The fold-down table that was underneath the plasma TV on the wall had been converted to a standard desk with multiple drawers for storage, and a second one was being used as her computer desk. On the top of that desk was a different looking computer than the standard model, and next to it on the floor was a full-length mirror.  
Sitting at the computer was Fara. She swiveled around in her chair, grinning as she realized that he hadn't crossed the threshold into her room. "I don't bite, silly. Come on in."  
Fox was about to enter when he noticed that Fara wasn't dressed in the standard military garb. Instead, she was wearing a fuzzy dark purple robe, wrapped tightly around her. A pair of slippers poked out from underneath, matching the color of her outfit. Her grin turned into a smile as she noticed his wandering eyes. "You like?" she asked.  
The door finally swished shut behind Fox as he walked in. Words simply had no meaning as he stared at the carefree vixen in front of him. He squashed any thoughts of her attractiveness though, as during a war was not the time to be asking your fellow pilots out. "It's just that it's not exactly standard military issue. It does look good on you though."  
She laughed. "Standard military issue my tail." Fara gestured around the room as she continued. "Go sit down somewhere, take a load off. What's on your mind?"  
Fox debated on sitting down at one of the spare chairs in the room, but decided on the bed in the end. He plopped down on the covers, the springs squeaking slightly to accept his weight. He propped up his head with his arms as he said, "Well, I seriously screwed up this evening. I got into a shouting match with our boss."  
Fara giggled. "You're not kidding. You're lucky to be alive at this point, much less still employed here."  
"I thought so," he said with a sigh.  
She took a good look at Fox, noticing how unhappy he looked. Fara found it almost funny how the roles were now reversed from earlier in the day. Now he needed the cheering up instead of her. She sat back in her chair for a moment, swinging her feet back and forth, as she debated on what to say. "Is everything you, well, yelled at Pepper true?"  
Fox nodded. "Yeah." He grew upset for a moment as he realized something, looking angrily towards the vixen. "So you do spy on him all the time. Do you do the same to us?"  
Fara threw up her paws in innocence. "I've told you before, there are no cameras or anything of the sorts installed in anybody's room. And because I can get into the security system, doesn't mean that anybody can. In covering my tracks, I've made the entire system far more secure than it ever was. Only I or the people who are supposed to monitor the cameras can get in now."  
"All right." Fox seemed unconvinced, or simply didn't care at the moment as he had too many other things to worry about.  
Fara looked at Fox's bummed out expression and figured out what she needed to do. "Fox, I'm not a psychiatrist or anything, but I've learned over the years that it helps to listen to one's problems." She smiled. "In other words, tell me about your day."  
Fox looked up, trying to read Fara's face as to what her overall motive was. He just couldn't at this point though, and she seemed sincere enough. "Everything?" he asked.  
She nodded. "Everything. The night is still young, and I don't have anything else to do."  
He looked into her face once more in confusion, but his hesitation as to what he should do dissolved as he saw her smile again. "If you insist." And so he did. Starting with their first approach to Papetoon, and continuing through his day, Fox told her everything. He covered how he felt when he noticed that Slippy wasn't responding, to his feelings when he used the Nova Bombs, to the events that covered the Horizon's attack and landing, and how he had looked on those that had lost their lives. He also told her of his feelings when he became a sniper target, and then when others still died around him. Eventually, he concluded with his little discussion with Pepper just recently.  
The entire time Fara just sat there, watching over Fox as he talked. She was impressed that he was bearing his soul like this, as she expected Peppy to be the mentor of the group based on what little she had seen of everybody. She made a mental note to talk to Peppy afterwards, as he really needed to know what Fox was telling her as she doubted that the vulpine had done anything like he was doing to anyone else on the team.  
In the end though, it was clearly good for Fox to open himself up like this. His mood lightened considerably as he talked, a smile even appearing upon his face a few times as he neared the end of his tale. Finally, he finished, a good twenty minutes later than when he had started. The pair sat there in the silence, each trying to figure where to take this conversation from here. Fox was the first to speak up again. "So, what do you think?"  
Fara scratched her head for a moment as she decided on what to say first. "I have a couple of things to tell you. First, I can clearly see that you needed to open up like this. There is a marked difference in how you are presenting yourself to me than when you started this."  
Fox agreed with her. "Yeah. I feel better somehow. I just can't explain it, nor can I figure out why I told you all of this instead of Peppy or someone else. I've only known you for like two days now, and here I just dumped my problems and worries right into your lap."  
She laughed. "I have that effect on people some days."  
He laughed back, feeling relieved to do so. "Well, it definitely helped. I almost feel like a new person."  
"Just keep in mind that we're all here to help you. And that's your second tip." She smiled. "Although I wouldn't try this on Falco. He doesn't catch me as the listening type."  
"Knowing him, he'd smack me around after a minute or two of something like this."  
They both laughed at this point, knowing that Fox was correct. As they quieted, Fara had one last thing to say. "Last tip – things happen around you that you, nor anyone else, can affect. You also can't save everybody in the system. Death happens. You just have to accept it."  
Fox sighed. "You're right." His expression changed to a grin. "You know, you're really starting to sound like Peppy. He said some of the same things earlier."  
"That's not good. The last thing I want to become is that old coot." She giggled, which quickly turned into a yawn. "If you'll pardon me, I think it's time to catch up on some beauty sleep. Unless you have something else to say, I'll see ya in the morning."  
Fox picked himself up off the bed and stretched, thinking about what else he needed to say. "Thanks for your time. By the way, if you didn't already know, you're going to be taking Slippy's place for the time being. So no more off time for you."  
She smiled, forcing herself to stay put so she didn't jump around in excitement. "Thanks. That means a lot being able to get back into the skies again. I promise I won't have another event like the one a few days back."  
"Good to hear. We don't have any other spare Arwings in the base, so we can't lose another."  
Fara shooed him out of her room, grinning at his so-called joke. "Get out of here, silly. See you tomorrow."  
"Night." Fox walked off, working his way back to his quarters. Thinking back to their discussion, he was amazed that he had opened up to Fara like that even though he'd only known her for a matter of days. It was good for him though, as he felt much better just being able to let go of his feelings and worries like that. The best part was that she seemed to enjoy the company, and as far as he was concerned, that was a good thing, even if his mind was preoccupied by the war.  
Fara on the other hand, was in front of her mirror, combing through her headfur as she thought about what had just transpired. While she was impressed that Fox had said what he had to her, she found that the male population had a tendency to be open to her in a very short amount of time. Whether that was her personality or the fact that she was a rather attractive vixen, she really didn't care as it had led to some interesting conversations over the years. However, she thought that Fox was quite the cute vulpine – something that she hadn't noticed of anybody else in some time.

  
A short time later, Gary walked into the command center to do his usual update on the spy satellites scattered throughout the system. Celine was currently on duty, and he gave her a nod in greeting as he saw her. The lynx stood up and stretched, powering down the screen to her terminal, ready to go on her break as she always did when he came around this late at night. "Have you seen my weekly report, Celine?" he asked kindly, interrupting her.  
She turned, pointing to the folder in question, which currently sat upon the console that he used to access the satellites. "It's right on your terminal, sir. Shall I go take a break as usual?"  
Gary nodded as he moved to acquire the folder. "Go right ahead." He picked it up, and was about to look through it when he noticed the blinking light underneath. Quickly growing concerned, as he knew what the light meant, he asked, "Celine, has anybody noticed this flashing light over here?"  
The lynx looked over. "No, sir. If they did, they haven't told me about it. Why?"  
Almost in a near panic now, he sat down and powered up the computer, typing as fast as he could to figure out what details that light told him. Without turning around, he asked another question. "Celine, this is important. How long has this folder been here like this?"  
She noticed the worry in Gary's voice and realized that something was dreadfully wrong. "It's been there since my shift started, sir, that much I know. As to before that, I have no idea."  
The computer quietly finished the startup sequence. The monitor changed to display the data that the satellite had recorded before it met its demise. The cheetah stared at the images on the screen, realizing that they contained information that doomed their entire existence on Corneria. Trying to control his racing heart, he said quietly, "By the Creator… Celine, call Pepper for me. Now."  
She looked over at what Gary was staring at with dread, but couldn't see what was on the screen from where she was. "What's wrong, sir?"  
Gary wasn't forthcoming on an explanation as he was still trying to comprehend everything that was incoming from what little data that he'd received. "Call Pepper, please. I'll let you know later."  
Celine sat down at her terminal before she remembered something. "The General is currently doing an interview for the news stations, sir."  
"Interrupt him. I don't care what he says; he must see this now."  
She looked over her terminal in fear, knowing that Gary has never acted this strange before. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she complied with his request. "Yes, sir."

  
It did not take long for Pepper to stomp his way into the command center once he got the call. "This better be damned important," he said angrily as he looked Gary's way. "This evening has been nothing but problems so far."  
"It's about to get much worse," said the cheetah as he waved Pepper over.  
The General worked his way over to his second-in-command, looking over his shoulder at the display once he arrived. Moments later he cursed, all the other problems in his day meaningless compared to what he was looking at. "Is this data for real?" he asked, knowing that he knew the answer to this question already.  
Gary nodded. "All the security codes check out. The worst part is that I don't think that this is the entire force either."  
Pepper found an empty seat nearby and dropped into it unceremoniously. "All our work is for naught, as none of us realized that Andross might be holding something big in reserve."  
Celine meanwhile was still sitting at her post. Giving up on the hope that her senior officers would just tell her what was going on, she decided to take a chance and ask. "Excuse me, sirs, may I ask what exactly you are looking at? What has you so worried?"  
The two males looked at each other for a moment in indecision, Pepper nodding with his approval after a moment. "Come here, Celine," said Gary. "I'll show you." He punched a few keys on the keyboard, causing the display to change to a system-wide overview of their spy probes.  
"What you're about to see is not to be told to anyone," said Pepper. "Understood?"  
"Yes, sir," replied the lynx as she approached. "I understand."  
Gary pointed at the screen. "Here's the short version. About two years ago, due to a possible threat from Andross and for other security reasons, we made a modification to the probes we once used as a detection system against pirate attacks."  
Celine nodded. "The Galactic Intruder Detection System, correct?"  
"That's the one. It had a far greater use though – they are designed to spy on the planets they are stationed near, and anything in space nearby, while maintaining a stealth configuration. Thanks to them, we had some early warning against Andross' attacks when they first started."  
The lynx looked confused as she thought back time wise. "Correct me if I'm wrong, sir, but I don't remember any warning given to the planets at all."  
"That's because there wasn't," said Pepper quietly.  
"What?" asked a stunned Celine, growing outraged at what she had just heard. "I have family on Katina that I could have warned!"  
Gary sighed, expecting her reaction. "And I have relatives on both Macbeth and Katina. They weren't told either for one simple reason – we couldn't."  
"From my understanding," said Pepper, "as I wasn't commander of this base back then, was for a rather simple reason. What would be the point? The Lylat system is a peaceful one. We have hardly any defenses, nor a standing military. A message would have caused nothing but panic. Besides, where would the citizens go?" He sighed, thinking back to times past. "The former General resigned about three months into the war due to that decision and the feelings of deep regret he had afterward."  
The lynx dropped her head as she understood Pepper's point. "You're right. I take it you knew about the attack on Corneria far in advance as well, correct?"  
"That we did," replied the cheetah with a nod. "Fortunately for us though, Andross thought that we would tell the citizens about the impending attack, as he sent in that battleship far slower than its known top speed. The extra day of practice gave the Starfox team all the training they needed to fight back."  
"But what's the problem now, sirs?"  
Gary turned around and punched in a few keys before responding, not at all pleased to see the data that the probe showed once more. "One of our probes was attacked. As a desperation move, the programming has it scan everything in the area and transmit it before it's destroyed. The data it recorded is the problem. Take a look." He showed her a graphical representation of what they knew.  
Celine gasped as she looked at the collection of warships. On the screen were three battleships of the same type that had attacked Corneria just days earlier. While they and the dozens of fighters each craft sported were extremely dangerous, it was the vessel in the center of the group that looked to be the most problematic.  
The ship looked almost impossibly huge, dwarfing the other craft nearby with its mostly circular appearance, bristling with weapon mounts of all shapes and sizes. As the scans weren't completed on the craft before the probe was destroyed, no exact details were listed, but it looked like it was capable of taking down the battleships surrounding it simultaneously with little problem. "That thing is huge!" exclaimed the lynx. "What are we capable of doing against that?"  
Pepper looked up from where he had been sitting quietly in grief. "My dear, I have absolutely no idea. The Arwings were flat out not designed to attack something of that size."  
"Should I assemble the team, General?" asked Gary.  
"No," Pepper responded, shaking his head. "Let them sleep tonight. They'll need any advantage they can get in this battle."  
"Okay. Shall I have the engineering bay fire off a few probes to see what additional data we can acquire?"  
"Do it." He stood up, looking around the room with a sigh. "And may the Creator have mercy on our souls in this upcoming battle."  
Gary and Celine looked at each other worriedly as Pepper walked off, knowing that the fate of the entire war could very well be determined by this single battle. Seeing what little faith their leader had on the outcome of this fight before it had even started didn't help in the slightest either.


	24. And the Problems Continue

So, what exactly did the command staff see last chapter? How could the Starfox team hope to take on a force like that? Read on to find out.  
----------   
  
  
**Chapter 24: And the Problems Continue**  
_This is what I hate about my position – do I send my pilots on a mission of almost certain death, or do I hold them back and see what develops? Do I dare do anything other than order them to their demise in the defense of the system?_ – Pepper

  
As expected, the next morning came far too quickly for an exhausted Fox McCloud. While he could have used a few more hours of sleep easily, he knew that he needed to be awake if the General decided to call him early. After grabbing a quick shower and some breakfast, he decided to just remain in his quarters until he was called.  
Now that his stomach had something on it, he found that his mood lightened considerably, as did his overall awareness. Something had been nagging him as he got his morning meal, and now that his sleep-deprived mind was working again, he figured out what it was – the general mood of the base seemed to be down.  
Normally, breakfast was a relatively jovial place at the military base. People had just woken up, ready to begin another day's work, and everyone was always in the mood to talk. Not this morning however. It had a rather somber mood, which was not only unusual, but made little sense, especially since Papetoon was just reclaimed the day before. Everyone should have been dancing around in excitement, pleased that they had recovered the first of many planets in the system.  
Any further thoughts of Fox's were interrupted by the door chime. "Come in," he said. "It's open."  
The door slid open, revealing Fara dressed in her usual flight garb. She smiled as she walked in. "Good morning, Fox," she said cheerfully, ready to spend more time in the Arwings.  
He smiled back, pleased to see her. "Good morning, Fara. Glad to see that you're in far better mood than the rest of the base."  
She frowned as she came into agreement with him. "So you noticed that as well. Any idea why?"  
"Not a clue." Fox leaned back in his chair as he continued. "Did you happen to see Pepper's interview last night? I dropped off to bed as soon as I left your room, and he didn't ask me to help out like last time."  
"I wouldn't call it much of an interview," she said with a laugh. "See—"  
Her story was interrupted by the door chiming once more. "Come in," said Fox.  
His latest visitor was Peppy, dressed and ready for combat as well. He nodded in greeting to the two pilots. "Good morning you two. Anything exciting going on this morning?"  
"Sorry, Peppy," said Fox, "nothing exciting short of waiting for Pepper's call today. Although Fara was just about to tell me about the interview I missed last night with the General."  
Peppy gestured for the vixen to take the spare seat, but she simply shook her head. Shrugging, he took the chair himself, dropping into it with a tired groan. "Well, I didn't watch it either, so I'm just as curious myself. Care to enlighten us, my dear?"  
Fara giggled at the sudden attention she was receiving, thinking back to the night before. "You didn't miss much, guys. It was really odd though – something or another interrupted Pepper less than five minutes in. He promised to continue the interview later in the night, but he never came back on."  
"That's seems unlike him," said Fox.  
She shrugged. "I've known him for far longer and that's really unlike him. He always completes what he starts."  
"There must be a good reason," suggested Peppy.  
"We'll just have to ask—" The door chimed yet again, interrupting Fox this time. "Must be Falco. Come in."  
Fox's guess was correct as the avian sauntered in, a grin on his face as he was ready for battle. "Morning. What's up?"  
"Nothing much," replied Fox. "Just chatting until Pepper calls us in today."  
"What fun." His expression changed quickly though as he leaned against the wall next to the door. "Did you guys see Slippy last night? He looks terrible."  
The other three pilots nodded. "That he does," said Fox. "The doc says it will be a few days before we see him again unfortunately."  
"That's what they told me yesterday." He thought for a moment. "Hey, did you wander out to get a bite to eat this morning? The people there seem so bummed out or something."  
"I noticed that myself," said Peppy. "Nobody wanted to say why either." He motioned to the other two. "Did you see the same thing?"  
Fox nodded while Fara said, "Fox and I were talking about that earlier. Neither of us knows why."  
The computer terminal behind Fox sprang to life suddenly. "And that would be the General if I had to make a guess." He spun around in his chair, hitting the button to accept the call. "Fox here."  
Pepper's face appeared on screen, looking like he had not slept well the night before. "Morning, Junior. I need to see you and your team in my office immediately. Pepper out." The picture vanished as quickly as it had appeared.  
"Well that was blunt," huffed Falco. "Nice to see that he likes us so much."  
"Falco, hush," groaned Fox as he thought through what he did the night before. "After the verbal thrashing I gave him last night he has no reason to be polite to me."  
Falco looked surprised to hear that his normally peaceful leader had gone off on their boss. "So you gave that windbag of a canine a piece of your mind, eh? Good job. Do tell."  
Fox stood up, ignoring the comments from his teammate. "I'll tell you later. Let's go see which planet we're going to take back today."  
The group left Fox's quarters, eager to find out their latest mission.

  
A few minutes later, the four filed into Pepper's office. To their momentary surprise, not only was the General there waiting for them, but Gary was standing nearby as well. As the team sat down, Fox knew that he had to say something before the meeting started. "Pepper, I need to apologize for…"  
The canine stopped him quickly, shaking his head. "No need, Junior. You were completely correct in what you were saying." He looked over the team with tired eyes. "Let's get this started as I have quite a bit to say today. Unfortunately, you are not going to like what I'm about to tell you."  
The pilots looked at each other anxiously as Pepper continued. "We were worried that Andross might stumble upon our spy satellites one day. That day has come upon us. Sometime yesterday, one of them was destroyed. Before it was vaporized however, it detected a fleet of warships building up just outside the normal range of the probe."  
Now the team had a very good reason to be worried. "What are we looking at, sir?" asked Fox in a concerned tone. "And what do you suspect their overall goal to be?"  
Gary flipped open the remote Pepper used all the time and pushed a few buttons, taking control of the meeting for now. "Simply put, we're looking at more concentrated firepower than we've ever seen out of Andross' forces. It's an attack group consisting of four, that's right, four battleships of the kind that you faced here on Corneria."  
The pilots gasped as they realized the difficulty of their next mission. All short of Falco anyway, who bluntly stated, "Four battleships, four Arwings, all armed with Nova Bombs. What's so difficult about that?"  
Gary shook his head. "Because you haven't seen the whole picture yet." Pushing one last button on the remote, the screen next to him sprang to life. On it were the four battleships that he'd described before, two in front and two behind the oversized ship in the center. "The battleships seem to be guarding this massive ship."  
"What is that thing?" asked a stunned Fara as the rest of the team looked on in shock. She couldn't believe what she was looking at. "It's absolutely gigantic!"  
Pepper spoke up this time as he looked over the pilots sadly. "We have no idea what it is, short of the fact that it seems to be carrying enough firepower to destroy a city and then some from orbit." He looked over to Gary for a moment. "If we had to make a guess, based on its current flight plan, that's its goal as well – head straight to Corneria and blow this planet off the galactic charts."  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Pepper," said Fara, almost regretting that she was going into combat again, "but the Arwings aren't designed to attack a vessel of that size. Especially with that kind of fighter cover. They simply don't have the staying power against those kind of odds."  
The General nodded glumly. He hated to admit it, but she was right. "I'd be lying if I said that you weren't correct in your statement." He sighed. "I'd also be lying if I said that this wasn't a suicide mission."  
Falco was the first out of the rest of the team to recover his composure. "Isn't this just wonderful," he groaned. "Off we go to our deaths after starting off so well."  
Pepper jumped to his feet and slammed his paws onto the table. "Don't you think I feel the exact same way, mister?" he hollered. "If you think you have a better plan, I'd love to hear it!"  
The avian shrank back from that outburst, as did the rest of the team. Trying to break the sudden silence, Peppy stood up and calmly walked over to the monitor. "Is this data current?"  
Gary nodded. "We have two probes following alongside them outside of their sensor range. It doesn't give us too much data on the capital ship though, but it does allow us to watch where they're going."  
"How long until they arrive?"  
"Based on current speed and position, about eight hours. They're not exactly fast moving vessels."  
Pepper looked over from his seat. "You are not waiting until those craft reach Corneria to attack them."  
"We have no intention to, sir," said Fox as he finally spoke up. "Gary, has their direction and velocity remained unchanged in the last few hours?"  
The cheetah nodded. "Other than the ships getting up to cruising speed, yes."  
Fox brought a paw up to his face in a thinking pose. It took him a moment, but he smiled as the pieces of a plan fell into place. "I think I have a plan. Falco is right in one aspect – we have four Arwings, and four battleships to destroy with a Nova Bomb each."  
"There's no way you can get close enough to them to fire before they launch their entire compliment of fighters," said Gary. "And there's no way you could attack that capital ship with 300-plus fighters assaulting you at the same time."  
Fox just smiled. "Not quite, Gary."  
The other pilots just looked his way, thinking through what Fox was trying to say. Peppy was the first to speak up, as he had an inkling to what was on the vulpine's mind thanks to having worked with him and his father over the years. Good minds always thought alike as far as he was concerned. "Ingenious idea if I'm thinking what you're thinking, but the timing would have to be perfect or else the repercussions would be fatal."  
"Interesting," said Fara thoughtfully, making a guess at what he was saying. "Peppy's right though if I'm thinking of the same thing – the timing would be everything."  
"You're nuts," said Falco as he came to same conclusion. "Absolutely nuts."  
"Thanks, Falco," said Fox with a grin as he looked at his teammate. "I can always count on you calling me crazy."  
Both Pepper and Gary gave the vulpine a confused look. "Care to explain, Junior?" asked the General.  
"It's like an old fashioned pirate raid," started Fox. "Just on a much faster scale and with a whole lot of explosions." He noticed that his explanation went over both of their heads, so he tried a far simpler way of putting it. "My goal is to drop out of lightspeed right next to all four of the battleships, fire off a Nova Bomb to take them out, and then move in for the kill against the capital ship. They won't have time to react."  
Gary's eyes lit up in excitement. "I have to say this much – your idea is original at least."  
Pepper's mood lightened considerably for the first time today. "It sounds like it would work."  
Fara crossed her arms and frowned as she thought through Fox's idea. "I'm not quite sure if the Arwing will work like that, Fox. Then again there isn't anything that says it won't either."  
"Care to explain?" he asked, hoping that he wouldn't have to trash his idea as he couldn't think of anything else at the moment.  
"Sure." She smiled as she noticed that all eyes were once again on her. "When traveling at lightspeed, all weapon power is diverted to the engines and the defensive systems as you simply couldn't fire your blasters traveling at that speed anyway. It's ultimately a question of how quickly the weapon systems come back online, and if the charge in the Nova Bombs is maintained during lightspeed." She thought for a moment. "Ask Cyrus – he'd know the answers for sure."  
"I'll get him," said Gary as he turned and walked out of the room, turning on a small headset as he left.  
The pilots looked amongst themselves, thinking of what else to ask. Peppy was the one who said something first. "General, what do you know of the capital ship in the middle of that fleet? There isn't much data being displayed on the screen there."  
Pepper looked at the monitor on his desk, double-checking what he knew verses the image behind him. "That's one of the problems – we can't get a probe close enough without being detected." The door swished open, admitting Gary once more. "Gary, do you know anything else about that capital ship?"  
The cheetah shook his head. "We don't have a probe close enough to scan it properly. As it is, it's blocking our more basic scans, so whatever it is, it's extremely well defended." He pointed at the larger screen. "The ship has at least four dozen weapon mounts of various sizes and configurations, and it's the size of a small city. Exact shielding and power configurations are unknown."  
"The joys of assaulting the unknown," mused Peppy.  
"And how we'll get ourselves killed," complained Falco.  
"I just hope the Nova Bombs will do something against that thing," said Fox.  
Gary shook his head. "Doubtful. The shield systems on the larger craft seem to be able to withstand a Nova Bomb based on your prior experience."  
"At least the battleships will go down in a single shot," said Fox.  
"Thank goodness," commented Fara. "I'd hate to take on that kind of fighter compliment."  
"As do we all."  
At that point, a quiet beeping could be heard at Pepper's console. After checking the screen for a moment, he pushed a button, the door sliding open to admit Cyrus. He looked around at the gathering as he said, "Good morning, sirs." He then noticed Fara in the corner. "And lady," he added with a slight smile. "You asked for my services?"  
Pepper gestured in Fara's direction, prompting the badger to look her way. "Technical question for you Cyrus," she said after a moment. "It's about the capacitors you installed on the Arwings – do they receive power during lightspeed or are they installed as part of the weapon system?"  
The badger stood there for a moment before responding. "'Tis installed outside of the power loop of the weapons for the most part. They'll keep their charge during lightspeed. Just don't expect them to charge any further."  
"Thanks Cyrus. As usual, you've been—" Her approval was interrupted by the wall monitor suddenly beeping at the assembled group.  
As everyone turned to look, Gary told them what he knew as he muted the warning. "Sorry about that. The capital ship has been giving off some unusual power readings every so often. We're not really sure why either."  
Cyrus maneuvered behind the seated pilots, working his way over to the monitor. Acting like he had done this his entire life, and without any permission at all, he began touching the controls for the screen, looking for something in particular. Gary made a move to stop him, as what he was playing around with was essentially classified data, but Fara waved him back. "Don't worry, guys, he won't break anything. Just give him a minute."  
A minute was all it took for the badger, who stepped back and admired his handiwork. Turning around to the group, he said what he found out as the monitor displayed the data. "Sorry about that intrusion lads, but I believe I found a correlation." He pointed back to the screen as he continued. "Every time the main launch doors open, and to a lesser point the two secondary ones, you'll notice a spike in power. But it isn't an increase of power use like one would think."  
"Because opening launch doors should take next to no power considering the size of that thing," said Fara.  
"So what it is then?" asked Fox.  
"Possibly an uncontained power source somewhere inside?" speculated Peppy.  
Cyrus grinned, having come to the same conclusion. "Aye, that's my opinion as well. A ship that big would have an absolutely huge reactor, even by our standards."  
Fox thought for a moment as he considered the data. "So what you're saying is that the launch doors have some kind of direct access to the reactor of that thing, right?"  
"'Tis my point exactly," confirmed the badger with a grin. "With luck, the passage will be big enough for the Arwings."  
That lightened the spirits of everyone in the room greatly. "I think we found ourselves a weak point," said Fox with a smile. "Let's get the details of this mission worked out as we have a battle to fight. And one heck of a long flight ahead of us."  
No longer needed, and thanked by everyone in the room, Cyrus left the planning to the pilots, amazed that they were so eager to get into a combat that could prove to be way over their heads.

  
The group spent the next half hour planning all the details of their attack, knowing that any mistake in their calculations could easily spell doom for the pilots. They also hoped that Andross wouldn't do something simple like divert his fleet somewhere else while the Arwings were in transit. Their entire mission was stacked upon a list of hopes and possibilities.  
But no matter what the outcome, the Starfox team was more than ready to risk their lives for it all.  
Not too long after that, the four pilots were in the skies, headed off to a rendezvous with fate. The Arwings were loaded with fuel, armed with a fresh set of crystals for the Nova Bombs, had a definite plan of attack, and a simple goal of kill or be killed.  
About 10 million miles out from the approaching fleet, the Arwings came to a halt. The computers started with their preprogrammed sequence, moving the craft into position. It had been decided earlier that Fox and Fara would take the more dangerous position of assaulting the front battleships, while Peppy and Falco would engage the rear pair. It had not pleased the avian much that he would be attacking the rear, but once he realized that it was a more dangerous approach as he had to speed past the capital ship, he kept his machismo to himself.  
Fox sat back in his seat, looking out into the blackness of space. Fara's Arwing floated nearby, having finished its maneuvers, while the other two craft were nothing but a speck in space as they had to move to the side of the incoming fleet for their final approach. His computer beeped at him once, then twice, telling him that all four Arwings were now in position.  
Looking over at Fara's craft for a moment, worried that he would be putting all his friends into extreme danger in just a minute, he knew that he would have to get this battle started before he lost his nerve. "All Arwings, this is Fox. Report go or no go status for our assault."  
Falco was eager to get into battle, no matter the odds against him. "Falco here. I'm ready for some major asskicking."  
Fara laughed as she listened to her much more enthusiastic teammate. "Fara here. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."  
Peppy just shook his head at the younger pilots. Wishing that he still had the youth and energy that they all did, he simply said, "Peppy here. All systems are go."  
Fox took one last look around, still worried about the battle ahead of him. Making sure that his Arwing was ready for combat, he told his teammates, "I'm good to go. Let's do this." He held his paw over the button to finish the approach to the hostiles. "Good luck everyone. See you in a minute."  
All four Arwings accelerated in unison as he activated the autopilot, jumping to lightspeed after a few seconds.


	25. The Fight of Their Lives

Okay, that took a lot longer than it should have. Here's to hoping that I can get out the next chapter far quicker than this one.  
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**Chapter 25: The Fight of Their Lives**  
_If I ever meet the person who first said that space was an exciting place, I'll throttle him. Space is nothing but large chunks of emptiness with the occasional speck of something interesting. At least I'll be able to fight today. It had better not be my last._ – Falco

  
Falco looked around at the slowly moving stars as his ship hurtled through space. It would have been an enjoyable view had he cared in the slightest about what he was looking at. Instead, he turned his attention to the timer on his computer screen, showing how long until he dropped right in on the doorstep of the enemy.  
It was the battle that invigorated the avian. The feeling of being only one step away from death's door as he swooped and swerved around his opponent, making sure he killed them all before they got to him first. The skies were the only place that Falco was truly happy.  
The final seconds counted down on his screen as he rubbed his paws together in excitement. While he would have been happier destroying everything one by one, he knew that even he would be overwhelmed by the enormous number of fighters that they would be facing shortly. So in the end, dropping a Nova Bomb on the lot of them would still satisfy him from the amount of carnage he would create.  
With a slight jolt the nearby stars came to a halt as Falco's Arwing dropped out of lightspeed. Much to his amazement, he was only a few thousand feet to the side and underneath his target of one of the Imperial battleships. As he kicked in his engines to get into position for the assault, Fox's voice came over loud and clear on the com. "Starfox team, attack! Make sure none of those fighters launch!"  
Eager to personally fire off a Nova Bomb, Falco lined himself within seconds. Grinning at the devastation he would be causing shortly, he flipped off the safety and fired away.  
After a short half-second delay, the Nova Bomb streaked out from its launcher, the energy ball of destruction speeding towards its target. Falco spiraled away from the battleship, making sure he put ample distance between it and himself so he could watch the carnage.  
He was to be rather disappointed with the result.  
The Nova Bomb struck the shields of the battleship as expected. The result however, was anything but. Instead of the ship being enveloped and disintegrated like its partner was just days before, the shields simply flared up, changed color, and fought furiously against the blast that threatened to destroy it. The lightshow was almost blinding to the avian, but thankfully it was brief.  
In the end though, the battleship was still there.  
And it looked to be relatively unharmed.  
"It…", sputtered Falco, stunned at what he just saw. "The damned thing didn't work!"  
"I know," was Fox's simple reply.

  
Knowing what was going to launch out of the battleship at any second, Falco began attacking the launch bay with his blasters. "We're screwed!" he hollered.  
"I can't believe that didn't work!" said Fox as he furiously thought of another plan of attack.  
"The shields even held through that assault," said Peppy.  
"They must have figured out how to tune their shields to resist the attack," said Fara thoughtfully as she engaged her target in desperation. "It's the same principle that we have for defending ourselves somewhat against them."  
An idea popped into Fox's head. "I have a plan. Everyone, recharge a Nova Bomb. Fara, head over to me immediately. Peppy, you do the same towards Falco."  
"The Nova Bombs didn't work incase you were napping back there," complained the avian. "What do you think firing another one will do?"  
"Nothing." Fox fired at the fighters that were beginning to launch out of the battleship. "But I doubt that those shields will be able to defend against two simultaneous shots."  
"Good idea," said Fara as she sped towards Fox.  
"And if you're wrong?" asked Falco as he dove out of the way of the battleship's turret fire.  
"We get the hell out of here."  
"At least you have that part right."  
Fox groaned at his teammate's comments. "Falco, you just keep those fighters from swarming over there and I'll worry about the mission."  
"Yes, boss."  
Shaking his head, the vulpine continued his lone assault against the battleship, waiting for Fara to arrive. Fighter after fighter exploded as they left the launch bay, but while his combat skill was outstanding, there were simply too many craft trying to leave the safety of the ship. On top of that, the battleship was attempting to shoot him down, point defense turrets shooting wildly trying to score hits. The craft itself even tried to destroy him as he made a pass in front of the ship, the main plasma cannon firing and coming far too close for comfort. All he knew was that he was getting overwhelmed quickly.  
So when Fox heard Fara's voice came over the com, to say that it was a relief was an understatement. "Fox, it's Fara. One Nova Bomb shall be ready for delivery in about 15 seconds. Where do you want it?"  
Fox risked a quick glance down at his radar, a few random blasts from the dozen ships now flying around hitting his craft due to his lack of attention. "Fire it from whatever direction you're coming from. I'll do the same on the other side."  
"All right. I hope this works."  
"So do I. Otherwise this will be one of the shortest battles in Cornerian history." Swerving away from another barrage of laser fire, he boosted towards the opposite side of where Fara was coming from in preparation to attack.  
Just as Fox got into position, Fara was ready to fire herself. "Firing in 3…2…" Cutting his engines and spinning in place, Fox aimed towards the battleship and launched a Nova Bomb as well.  
Like twin suns, the two Nova Bombs streaked through the blackness of space towards their target. The battleship attempted to shoot down the implements of their destruction, but as the cannons weren't attuned to the Nova Bombs as the Arwing's were, they simply passed through harmlessly.  
As before, the shields flared in a desperate bid to protect the vessel, but this time it was not to happen. Within seconds the protective sphere around the battleship failed, allowing the Nova Bombs to detonate against the unprotected craft to a devastating effect. The ship and the fighters nearby simply vanished under the blinding glare of the twin strikes. When the effect subsided seconds later, there was nothing left short of a few melted pieces of hull.  
The few fighters that escaped the blast radius ran, not wanting to face the Arwings after their carrier had disintegrated from the assault. The pilots were pleased to see another battleship fall to their efforts. "Nice shooting, Fara," remarked Fox. "One more to go."  
As the pair swung their craft around to go after their other target, Falco's overjoyed hollers were heard over the com. "Hell yeah!" he yelled. "Take that you piece of crap!"  
"Score one for the good guys," said Peppy calmly.  
Fox laughed to himself at the disparity between the two pilots. "Good job you two. Now go get that other one out of the picture the same way."  
"You know that will deplete us of Nova Bombs," commented Peppy.  
"I know. I doubt they'd be very effective against that monster of a craft anyway."  
"Not quite," said Fara. "While the crystals are rated for only three uses, in my experience I have gotten four out of the occasional one. You also might be surprised at their effectiveness."  
"Good point Fara. I'll keep—" Fox's line of thought was interrupted as he suddenly had to swerve out of the way of an incoming craft. He was momentarily confused as he knew that he hadn't been shot at prior to the engagement. As he returned to his original heading, he had to dodge once more away from another fighter.  
Fara was the first one to state the obvious. "They're trying to ram us!"  
The vulpine was too busy trying to make sure that he wasn't hit by one of the suicidal fighters to respond for a few seconds. Finding a quiet moment, he replied hurriedly. "I've noticed! Blast them out of the sky if they get in your way! Peppy, Falco, watch yourselves, as our target's fighter cover is attempting to ram us!"  
If the two other pilots said anything in return he was too preoccupied to hear it. On the other hand, Fara was in a near panic as in her years of being a pilot, this was nothing she had ever trained for, much less ever thought would happen to her. Desperately she fired at a fighter, causing it to explode and allow her some maneuvering room as a pair of fighters crashed into each other where she had been just moments ago. "There's too many of them!" she yelled, terrified of the situation she was in.  
"Concentrate," said Fox, attempting to calm her down while he jockeyed for position himself. "Just imagine that you're facing a bunch of asteroids that happen to be heading directly your way. You'll be fine."  
Fara spun out of the way of another incoming craft, her blasters firing in an attempt to clear some more space. Her aim was true as a fighter detonated from the shots, the remains crashing into another ship, giving her a somewhat clear flight path for a few seconds.  
In their attempts to simply stay alive, the pilots had ignored what their overall goal had been doing. The battleship had simply bided its time, waiting for a chance to use its plasma cannon on the pair.  
This looked to be the perfect opportunity.  
Predicting a time when both Arwings would be near each other, the battleship fired its main gun. The ball of energy quickly sped off, blowing through half a dozen of the unshielded fighters before reaching its target.  
Fox noticed the incoming shot first. "Look out!" he yelled, desperately punching his boosters as he found a hole in the fighter cover. Fara dove through an opening as well, but not quickly enough as the plasma came in close contact with her shielding, draining its protective covering by 50%.  
Furious at almost losing another Arwing in combat, Fara found the point of weakest resistance from the fighters and unloaded her blasters as she simply punched right through, relying on her speed to keep the hostiles off her tail. "Come on, Fox," she commanded, "it's time to stop screwing around and get this jerk out of the picture once and for all."  
Amused at her sudden change in attitude, but pleased to see that she had worked her way free of their swarming opponents, Fox found the hole he was looking for as well to escape.  
Right where the battleship had fired before.  
Knowing it was a dangerous gamble, Fox boosted through the opening as the battleship fired again, not wanting to miss such a simple shot. Passing by a pair of fighters blocking his way, the vulpine swerved away from the incoming plasma and threw his throttle all the way forward, his Arwing escaping critical harm by mere feet. The craft that were following closely behind however, were not so lucky.  
Letting out the breath he had been holding with a hiss, Fox moved to follow Fara's Arwing, his boosters glowing brightly behind him. The fighters behind and the battleship in front opened fire, both groups aggravated that they had been unable to take down either of the pilots. The pair dodged the firepower easily, knowing that nothing was going to stop them now.  
Fox looked at the rapidly approaching battleship with anticipation, knowing that its demise was just moments away. "I'll take port and you take starboard?" he asked, thinking out a plan of attack.  
"Roger," was her terse reply.  
The pilots continued to maintain formation as they grew closer, each waiting for the other to tell them when to break off. The battleship turned and fired its plasma cannon once more, forcing the issue. The Arwings separated at that point, each swinging off towards their goal. Somehow they both turned back at the exact same time, the craft charging towards the battleship from either side.  
Ignoring the fighters that had begun attacking them once more, the pair waited until they were almost on top of the battleship before they launched the Nova Bombs. The radiant balls of energy sped towards their target as the Arwings formed up behind the craft to watch the impending destruction.  
As expected, it only took a few seconds for the Nova Bombs to do their work. Once the shields failed, the entire craft was enveloped in the explosive power of the destructive weapon. As before, nothing survived.  
What few fighters remained hurried off towards the safety of the capital ship as Fox made sure that his teammate was fine. "Nice shot there, Fara. You okay in there?"  
Her reply was slow in coming as the Arwing made a lazy loop around what little was left of the battleship. "Yeah, I'm fine." She slowed down, coming to a halt next to Fox's Arwing, pointing towards their final target. "Shall we get this little battle over with?"  
"We will just as soon as we make sure the others—" With a flash, the other side of the capital ship was lit up momentarily. The pair didn't even have to guess what that meant. "Never mind then." He changed a setting on his com as he continued. "You two okay over there?"  
"Suck it down you jackass of a battleship!" came Falco's excited reply.  
Fox was at a loss of words for a moment as he broke out into a huge grin over his teammate's attitude. "I'll take that as a yes then."  
"A yes would be the proper answer," said Peppy calmly.  
"And old geezer Peppy strikes again," interjected Falco.  
"I'm sorry, Falco, but unlike you, I don't like living my life on the edge. That and I found that the fact that these pilots were more than willing to crash into us instead of a more honorable death in combat a tad unnerving."  
The avian groaned. "Just think of them as asteroids with a vengeance."  
"They are far more than that and you know it."  
"Excuse me you two," interrupted Fox, "we do have a war to fight you know. Let's get to it."  
As the communication channels quieted, all Fox heard was a single word from Fara privately. "Males," she grumbled, forcing the vulpine to mute his headset so he could have a hearty laugh without confusing the rest of the team.


	26. The Negator

How bad can things get for the Starfox team? Pretty lousy as far as I'm concerned. This fic is far from over though, so expect the unexpected as time moves on.

Janus - I'll keep an eye out as to your comment as I continue writing. Or as I edit some of the things that I've posted already.  
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**Chapter 26: The Negator**  
_What's up with Falco? Doesn't he realize that any second all four of us could be horribly killed? Thankfully the others know this, but I think that Fox ignores the fact sometimes. Does it make him better in the pilot seat though? I honestly don't know._ – Fara

  
"Do we have any kind of plan?" asked Falco a minute later as the four advanced on the capital ship.  
Fox thought through what he knew before answering. "Our goal is to get close enough to that thing so we can verify that our original plan is the correct one. If it is, one, or all of us, work our way inside that thing to take down the core."  
"A simple plan," said Fara.  
"A plan that can have so many things go wrong with it," complained the avian.  
"Hush," said Fox, quieting down his teammate. "It's not like we can attack something of that size directly."  
The pilots became quiet once more as they readied themselves for the battle ahead. The silence was broken as the capital ship decided to taunt them as they approached. "Attention, Arwings, this is the Great Commander Negator. By Emperor Andross' decree, you will be terminated for crimes against his empire. Prepare to die."  
If the team was at all impressed or worried at the communication, they kept their thoughts to themselves. For the most part anyway. "Kinda blunt, wasn't he?" asked Fara.  
"Not really," said Peppy. "Although our objective the other day did ask for our surrender before attacking."  
"True," said Fox. He sat there, looking at their target, wondering just what secrets it held as to its armaments and defenses. Knowing that they would find out shortly one way or another, he just continued on with his advance. "There hasn't been a warship built by Andross so far that we haven't been able to dismantle, no matter what fancy name it had attached to it."  
The pilots agreed with their leader with a few laughs as Falco decided to take it one step further. "Such a threatening name there, asshole," he taunted over a global frequency. "Take your threats, and your so called Emperor, and go shove it up a tailpipe."  
The Negator didn't take to the insults kindly. Instead of saying something in response, however, it replied with what it knew best – all the firepower at its command.  
The blackness of space turned almost to day from the impressive amount of firepower the craft had at its disposal. Dozens of turrets, in all shapes, sizes, and configurations, fired upon the four Arwings, caring little about hitting any of their own fighters that might still be in the area. It just wanted the pilots destroyed.  
Any craft larger than a fighter would have been vaporized in seconds from the barrage. Most fighters would have been shot down from a random shot in just as short of a time. But not the Starfox team. Drawing upon any mental and physical reserves they had, the four pushed their craft to the limits, weaving and dodging, twisting and turning, attempting to not only stay alive, but to reach their objective as well.  
To say that it was a difficult job was an understatement. Despite their best efforts, lucky shots from the Negator continued to strike home, threatening all four of them. Feeling his Arwing shake slightly from yet another hit, Fox grumbled and said, "Damn, that thing is well armed."  
"That's an understatement, my friend," commented Peppy as his latest attempt to dodge failed. He was doing the worst of the four as far as his shields went, but he refused to give up.  
"Not having any fun?" asked Falco jokingly as he swooped out of the way of the capital ship's firepower. "I could keep this up all day."  
Fara dove past two sets of turret fire, twisting her ship around in an attempt to get closer to her target. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. You think this is all a game to you?"  
"Life itself is nothing but a game. You just need to play your cards right."  
Fox was impressed at what he had just heard from his fellow teammate. "Falco, I do think that's the most philosophical thing I've ever heard come out of that mouth of yours."  
"That's his best?" asked Fara as she found what looked to be a hole in the turret defense. "What's his worst dare I ask?"  
"They aren't repeatable," replied Peppy honestly as he tried his best to keep dodging. "At least not without insulting most the female population in the system anyway."  
Fara's so-called gap in the defense was nothing but as the turrets that had purposely halted fired upon her position. Cursing to herself at her simple mistake, she desperately rolled out of the way of the oncoming fire, her vocal tone reflecting her mood. "You disgusting little pig!"  
"Hey!" exclaimed Falco. "I resent that remark!"  
With one last dodge and a short boost of his engines, Fox found himself flying above the surface of the Negator. Going as low as he dared, the turrets' fire for the most part stopped, as the crews manning them had no intention of hitting their own ship. Glad to be out of relative danger, he began scanning the craft itself to find its hopeful weakness. Trying to lighten the mood a tad, he said, "Yup, that's Falco, our resident flying pig. At least he can fly well though."  
The entire team had to laugh at that, even the insulted avian. "I'll get the lot of you for that," he jokingly said. A few seconds later he joined Fox, pleased that he wasn't being used as target practice any longer.  
Fara joined the pair shortly thereafter, with Peppy arriving not too long after that. The hare's approach brought some good news as he began scanning. "Fox, I think I've located the core."  
"Nice work. Follow it on out while we provide the cover."  
"Provide cover from what?" complained Falco as he fired upon a stationary turret to make his point. "These things aren't exactly shooting back at us anymore if you haven't noticed."  
Fara was the first one to say it as her threat indicators suddenly blared. "Incoming fighters!"  
"Me and my big mouth."  
Peppy ignored the battle as it began to rage around him, trusting in his teammates to keep him from any harm. Passing over part of the Negator's hull once more, he stared at the sensor readings, looking for a continuation of the tunnel that connected the main launch bays with the power plant buried deep inside. The work was slow and difficult, even at this range, as the Arwing's sensors had difficulty penetrating the interior of the capitol ship.  
Meanwhile, the other three pilots concentrated on not only defending themselves, but they had to constantly watch over Peppy as well. They could tell by the slow sweeps he made over the hull that he was ignoring the fight completely, so any ship that got through their defenses could do serious harm to the hare before he responded to the attack.  
The battle continued onwards, the minutes slowly ticking by. The Negator avoided opening the main launch bay for some reason, which would have likely helped Peppy out quite a bit in his search. Instead, reinforcements continued to pour out from a pair of secondary launch bays, harassing the pilots to no end. Despite their efforts, they were beginning to become overwhelmed simply by the sheer number of fighters that were now swarming around them.  
Suddenly, Peppy boosted away from the group, heading directly towards the main launch bay. Pleased with what he saw on his sensors, he banked his Arwing back towards the others and began attacking the fighters. "Mission accomplished. I'm transmitting the data to everyone, as it's anything but a straight path."  
"Nice work, Peppy," complimented Fox. "Now we wait for the main doors to open. All Arwings, move into position nearby."  
"Can't we just blast our way in?" asked Falco as he shot down a careless fighter that got too close to him. "Better doing that than just sitting out here and waiting."  
Fara laughed. "Do you have any idea what this hull is composed of? You'd have better luck digging through concrete with a spoon."  
"Oh shut up," retorted the avian. "Who asked you?"  
"Falco," warned Fox angrily, pulling a quick loop to shake loose a pair of fighters on his tail. "You know the rules. Fara, you too – no insulting of teammates on a mission."  
"Sorry," said Fara. Falco grumbled something incoherent afterward, so Fox took that as his apology.  
The team sped past one of the defensive towers, the size of the weapon comparative to a multi-story building. Fox was about to comment about this when Peppy interrupted his thoughts. "The main launch bay is opening."  
The vulpine looked down at his sensors, the system telling him the exact same thing. "Good. Peppy, could all four of us fit down there?"  
"Not easily, no. Not only would we be just following each other, but it's a rather tight fit as it is."  
Looking at the latest batch of fighters to head their way as his threat indicators blared again, Fox boosted ahead of the group, telling everyone his next move. "If that's true then, I'll just go on in myself. You three keep the fighter cover busy."  
"And once again our leader takes all the glory," grumbled Falco.  
"He's just watching out for the rest of us," said Fara as she readied herself for continued battle. "Be careful in there."  
"I will. Keep safe yourself." Passing around the front of the ship, Fox opened fire on a few fighters that were in the process of launching before diving towards the now closing doors. Boosters glowing behind him, his Arwing hurtled between the rapidly closing gap, clearing the doors with only feet to spare.  
With a single warning tone his computer advised him that it had lost contact with the other Arwings, leaving Fox completely alone inside the capital ship. Ignoring the sudden quiet, he brought up the map that Peppy had transmitted earlier, giving him a clear route towards the core.  
In the beginning, the vulpine passed by dozens and dozens of docked fighter craft. Some of them had already been launched against the team earlier, but quite a few of the craft were still awaiting a pilot. He fired at a few of the stationary fighters, pleased to watch them explode before they could do any kind of damage to his teammates.  
While he was enjoying the easy life flying through the fighter bays, he knew it wouldn't last. As expected, his computer pointed out a course change not too long afterward. It didn't make much sense though – the plotted course was trying to tell him to go straight through a solid wall. Groaning at his luck, he began searching for a path in, as well as trying to figure out why Peppy's travel plans seemed incorrect.  
Flipping through the multiple scanner modes on his Arwing, Fox tried to determine the weak point of the obstacle ahead of him. Not having any luck at all on the more obvious selections, he debated on what the hare would have used to track the path to the core. On a hunch, he picked the option to scan radiation levels, and if by magic, his way was revealed.  
While the radiation itself wasn't harmful in its current concentration thanks to his shields, he had one other problem – the metal grating he found blocking the way to the next chamber was only half the size of his Arwing.   
Grumbling about the miscalculation, Fox backed his craft away from the wall and opened fire with his blasters. The rust-colored metal resisted his attacks at first, but his continued assault began to show results after a few seconds. The metal began to warp under the intense heat he was generating, and finally it turned to slag and melted away, little chunks of superheated metal separating and floating around in the vacuum of space.  
It took a few minutes, but finally Fox had a hole large enough for his Arwing to fit comfortably through. Switching off the maneuvering thrusters that he had used to keep his ship still as the much larger craft moved around him, he powered up his main engine and moved down the tunnel.  
Much to his dismay, his computer started to complain at him once more. For starters, it warned him about the increasing radiation levels. While they were anything but harmful right now, Fox suspected that it would become far more dangerous the further he went in. He just hoped that his shields were able to withstand the strain. The other problem was that the tunnel he was moving down now was hardly bigger than his Arwing. It was clear that it was not designed for a craft of his size. As long as it didn't get any smaller however, he knew that he would be fine. He just had to be careful.  
Increasing his speed slightly, Fox concentrated on his piloting, ignoring the rust covered walls as they passed closely by on either side of him. His computer alerted him time and time again as the radiation continued to increase, the levels now at a point where it would be detrimental to his health to be in the area in an unshielded craft. A quick look at his computer indicated that he was about halfway there based on Peppy's calculations.  
It was at this point that his threat indicator lit up as it detected a hostile coming up behind him.  
Fox moved as fast as he dared, trying to keep ahead of the incoming craft, knowing that he would be unable to engage in combat, much less dodge at all, in the confines of this ship. His shield system yelled at him as he took a corner too closely, his Arwing scraping against one of the walls before he could recover. Knowing that keeping his shields up were a priority in this radiation filled area, he forced himself to cut back his speed.  
Unfortunately, this allowed a pair of small fighters, specifically designed to move through some of the lesser traveled areas of the ship, to catch up to him. As expected, they opened fire as soon as they got within range.  
Fox's ship shuttered as he was hit, the vulpine unable to do anything to dodge or counter the incoming attacks. Out of desperation, he accelerated once more, hoping that he would have better luck keeping his Arwing off the walls this time around.  
The extra speed helped somewhat, allowing him to dodge around corners faster than his pursuers. He was still taking way too many hits however. Even though his attackers were armed with only low powered weapons, as they didn't expect somebody to bring such a powerful ship into the Negator like this, they were causing more than enough damage to kick in a warning tone as his shields dropped below 50%.  
Completely out of options, Fox just sped on, hoping that he could reach the core before his shields failed. A quick glance at Peppy's guide stated that he was three-quarters of the way there. He just didn't know if he would make it or not.  
Shields now at 40% and falling rapidly from the increased radiation and the continued beating from behind, Fox's luck suddenly changed sides. The confining tunnel that he had been in suddenly opened up to a straight path more than triple his size in all directions, giving him ample room to move around. It wasn't without its own set of dangers though – power cables encased inside a thick steel shell covered with some kind of unknown substance ran haphazardly throughout the passageway, not only designed to impede travel, but to provide life-giving power to the entire ship.  
Now it became a chase in a more true sense of the word. Fox had plenty of space and objects to dodge and hide behind as the two fighters tried their best to hit his ship. Their laser bolts impacted harmlessly against the walls or the steel columns, throwing sparks everywhere with each miss.  
As much fun as it was dodging around however, he knew that he needed to get those fighters off his tail. Finding a spot up ahead where he could keep a straight, level path for a bit, he decided to pull the same stunt that Fara did to him a few days prior. Lining himself up, he cut power to his engine, quickly spinning his Arwing around to face his pursuers. He opened fire on the surprised hostiles, one of the craft exploding in a matter of moments from the blaster fire, while the other swerved hard to avoid the vulpine's shots, its short-lived freedom ending abruptly as it crashed into a column.  
Pleased with the results of the battle, Fox swung his Arwing back around and continued his approach towards the core.

  
After half a minute of relatively peaceful travel, Fox found his attention being drawn towards his computer once more. Once again, it was about the increasing radiation levels, but this time it was far more severe than it had been previously. What worried him was what it was saying – his shields would only hold for another six minutes this close to the core, assuming that he didn't take any further damage. After that, he would be defenseless and taking exposure to a near lethal dose of radiation.  
That didn't improve his spirits in the slightest.  
Wondering why Andross, a known technological genius despite his shortcomings, would design such a dirty power source, he continued forward, hoping that his goal was nearby. Thankfully his destination was, as when he rounded one final corner, he happened upon the core itself.  
The chamber containing the core was absolutely gigantic. It was a completely circular room, about a quarter of a mile in diameter, and it was empty of anything short of one giant object – the core. The core itself was attached to the top and bottom of the room via huge columns, covered with the same unknown substance that Fox saw earlier. In fact, the entire exterior of the chamber was coated with the same stuff. His computer didn't have any ideas what it was, and the vulpine simply didn't have the technological knowledge to hazard a guess either.  
Knowing that his time was very limited, Fox began scanning the core for weak points. Before he could find one though, the answer presented itself, but not in the fashion that he wanted to see – the core attacked him, exposing itself in the process.  
A pair of huge protective plates moved away from the core, revealing some kind of electrical reaction arcing through an unidentified object in the center. With the covering out of the way, the electricity arced from the core to dozens of points all over the room. As his radiation alarm went haywire from the proximity to the now exposed core, Fox had to quickly dodge out of the way of an arc that was threatening to pass right through him.  
Having no better plans, he desperately fired upon the core. He tried to stay out of the line of fire in the process, knowing that a single hit might be enough to do him in thanks to his weakened state. As his shots struck home, the core seemed to react by somehow firing off even more of the blue-tinted arcs. Unable to maintain a line of fire without being hit, he spun away, concentrating on staying undamaged for the moment.  
At that point, the electricity suddenly stopped as the core closed back up. Curious, but not wanting to miss this advantage, Fox fired as quickly as he could. This time around however, he didn't have the same luck as the protective covering simply shrugged off his blasters, dealing no damage at all.  
Searching for another option, his computer chimed in to remind him that he had another four minutes before his shields failed. "Oh shut up," he grumbled to the inanimate object as he decided on his next move. Only one idea presented itself – chance his luck on getting another Nova Bomb out of the overused crystal.  
Pausing only a moment to take aim, as the target was quite difficult to miss thanks to its size, Fox punched the button to release another Nova Bomb. As usual, the device took only a half second to charge before releasing its deadly payload. This time around, things were different. Much to his dismay, his Arwing shuddered slightly as the launcher system failed, luck not on his side as the crystals simply shattered from being used a fourth time. While it caused no other damage to his craft, it still upset him as much as losing a wing.  
He had no time to complain though as the core's protective barrier opened once more, electricity arcing everywhere in the chamber. Dodging what looked to be nothing more than a natural reaction of the core, and not a focused attack, Fox resumed his assault. His wing mounted blasters continued to strike home as he fired, the core continuing to react with each hit. Not only was each hit creating more of the electrical bolts somehow, but the main core itself seemed to be slowly changing colors, as if he was trying to penetrate a shield of sorts.  
Thirty seconds passed before the core decided to close as quickly as it opened. Fox had no idea why the core was opening and closing like this, and the data his computer was submitting made little sense to him. All he knew was that he had very little time left. As if the computer knew of this somehow, it spouted off that he now had only three minutes of protection remaining.  
Calming his now racing heart, Fox pulled away from the core, getting as much distance as he could for one final attack. He knew that this was quite possibly the final attempt he could make before his defenses failed, exposing his body to lethal doses of radiation. Resolved to destroy this ship one way or another, even if it cost him his life, he sat at the edge of the chamber, waiting for the core to open again.  
His wait wasn't long as once again, the core exposed itself to Fox's blaster fire. A look of determination on his face, the vulpine charged towards the core, his paw holding down the trigger to his weapons the entire time.  
The core began to spark and flash with each accurate hit, the defenses having failed in Fox's last barrage. Electricity began to arc everywhere in the room, only pure luck now keeping the vulpine from being hit. Yet he continued to advance, the distance closing rapidly to his target. Suddenly, just when he would have pulled away to attempt another pass, all electricity emitting from the core simply stopped.  
Fox had a very good guess at what that meant.  
Quickly he pointed his Arwing towards the entrance, his craft hurtling forward as he kicked in the boosters. Just as he reached his escape route, his computer went haywire on him again, warning him about something. As Fox's attention was directed elsewhere at the moment, he simply didn't care what it was trying to tell him. Little did he know it was a warning that he was at ground zero of the biggest explosion the system had ever detected.  
Desperately, Fox barreled down the passageway, his Arwing twisting and turning as he kept away from the steel girders lining the corridor. He pushed his craft and his reaction time to their limits, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the Negator exploded. While its destruction was a good thing, it was something he did not want to experience while he was still inside of it.  
All too quickly the easier part of the trip ended, the tunnel once more closing up into a space not much larger that his Arwing. But now was not the time to slow down. Boosters glowing on the straighter paths, and the retro-rockets flaring as he hit the corners, he attempted to keep his speed as high as possible. It was a difficult task, but one that he had to accomplish as he had no other choice if he wanted to live.  
As he made the final turn in the confining tunnels, Fox breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his way out, his harried trip quickly coming to an end. All he had to do now was to escape through the fighter's main launch tunnel, and another mission would be accomplished.  
Just as Fox pulled out into the launch tunnel itself, and slammed his boosters into action once more, the tunnel he had vacated exploded into flame, coming dangerously close to roasting his Arwing. Glad that he didn't end up a cooked portion of his former self, he pushed onward, knowing that he didn't have any time to spare, and hoping that his good fortune would last.  
Unfortunately, it seemed like his luck wasn't going to hold out quite long enough.  
Things began to go downhill rapidly from there on out. The Negator was moments from going supernova, and it was starting to show on the inside. As he rocketed past, support columns began to spark and explode, the fuel lines traversing through them detonating from the sudden change in the ship's status. Thankfully there wasn't any gravity in the main tunnel, or else Fox's job in escaping would be much more difficult as he would have to dodge around falling debris, instead of just explosions and the occasional piece of charred metal floating around.  
However, other things could go wrong to make his escape more entertaining. With a blinding flash, every light in the tunnel suddenly detonated, sending the once bright area into total darkness. In the few seconds that it took him to locate the switch to activate his light up front, Fox was amazed that he didn't hit anything.  
He slowed down slightly, his view distance hampered by the lack of light in the passageway. Columns around him continued to explode, sending the fighters still attached tumbling around him. He smiled, pleased that he wasn't forced to engage the full force of this ship, as he knew that he and his three companions would have been completely overwhelmed, even with their prowess in battle.  
With main power obviously offline, and the lights that normally would be still working in pieces, the backup systems finally decided to kick in. Their dull red glow illuminated the area around Fox and towards the exit, allowing him to pick up the speed once more.  
Glancing ahead, he looked pleased as the last of the still docked fighters passed by. Finally able to see his escape route, his smile suddenly vanished as quickly as it had appeared.  
A ring of emergency lights highlighted the only exit so one could find it easily without main power operating. They revealed something that shattered Fox's hopes.  
The launch bay doors were shut tight.  
A feeling of dread passed through the vulpine, as without an escape route, he knew his life was going to come to a very quick end in a matter of seconds.  
Fox brought his Arwing to a halt as he looked through what schematics his computer had automatically recorded, trying to find another way out. After a few seconds, the computer turned up the expected result – short of the two smaller launch bays that weren't connected anywhere near where he was, there was no other way out from inside this capitol ship. With main power destroyed, there was no chance of the launch bay doors opening. Without them opening, the vulpine knew that it was only a matter of time before the ship exploded around him.  
And that time looked to be now.  
Another alarm blared inside his craft, telling Fox that it had detected a nearby explosion, sending a wall of fire down the passageway directly towards him. Unbeknownst to him, one of the adjacent decks filled with life-giving oxygen had been blown open, sending the air into the vacuum of the tunnel. That, combined with the thousands of gallons of highly concentrated jet fuel that were kept in the area for the fighters, had detonated, sending a fiery blaze of destruction towards him.  
All Fox knew was that his Arwing simply wouldn't survive something like that, especially with his shields at their weakened state.  
Out of options, the vulpine charged towards the sealed off exit, firing his blasters constantly in an attempt to blow open a hole in the reinforced hull and allow his escape. As the flames closed from behind and the doors neared from in front, Fox could just tell that his end was near, as much as he didn't want to admit it.  
"Father," he said quietly, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I couldn't get revenge on Andross like I promised. Pass your hopes on to the rest of the team, as I know they'll do a fine job instead." He sighed. "And please watch over Fara for me." With a muted click, he reached up and turned off his headset, this time for good.  
Having said his final words, he calmly sat back in his seat, watching as the still sealed doors loomed ever closer. His blasters continued to fire, but it was clear that they simply wouldn't be able to create an escape route in time. Ignoring the multiple alarms from his computer, one set telling him about the fireball he was just barely staying ahead of, the other a simple collision warning, he continued onward, his fate now outside his hands.


	27. Fate, The Final Frontier

Nothing like being stuck deep within the core of a giant battleship as it's exploding around you. Will Fox make it out alive? Read on to see.  
----------   
  
  
**Chapter 27: Fate; The Final Frontier**  
_What a way to go out – I've destroyed the biggest craft ever seen in Lylat's history, and I'm going to die just a few feet from freedom. It's been a good life at least._ – Fox  
_I wonder how Fox is doing. I hope he's all right._ – Fara

  
Meanwhile, while Fox had been assaulting the interior of the Negator, the other three Arwings had been valiantly fighting the craft above. Once again Andross' forces were using the simple theory that overwhelming numbers would lead to victory, but thanks to the near city-like design of the turrets and defensive systems on the capitol ship, which offered quite a bit of cover for the more nimble craft, they had a far easier time than they expected.  
Falco, as usual, had gotten over his head as he continued his assault. A half dozen fighters trailed his Arwing, constantly taking potshots whenever they saw an opening. But as the avian refused to call for help, combined with the fact that the other two pilots were too occupied themselves to notice his condition, he knew that he would have to deal with his pursuers on his own. Coming across one of the larger turrets that was meant to shoot down battleships instead of his craft, a plan formed in his head as he decided to use the Arwing's impressive maneuverability to its fullest.  
He charged towards the side of the turret and kicked in his G-Diffuser system as he neared. His craft spun rapidly in space, changing its heading so it was perfectly following the exterior of the turret. Only feet away from the metal surface, he continued to speed off, ignoring the weapon blasts that were striking all around him.  
As he passed by the edge of the turret, he used the G-Diffuser system once more, continuing to follow the turret closely. The fighters following him however were completely unable to match his turn, all six of them slowly banking around to continue the chase. Suddenly, Falco had gained quite a bit of distance from his pursuers.  
He continued along this side of the turret, pleased to see just how long it look his opponents to open fire at him again. Reaching the corner once more, he quickly banked around it, boosting off to gain even more distance from his targets. He smiled, knowing it was time to put the other portion of his plan into action.  
Coming to a relative stop, he spun back around and winced for a moment as the straps that held him to his seat dug into his feathers. He pointed his Arwing where he hoped his pursuers would be rounding the corner, his paw poised over the trigger for his blasters. His wait wasn't long as they flew around the corner, right into Falco's sights.  
After how long he'd been running, the carnage was rather brief. The avian's accurate shots pounded into the surprised hostiles, the ships exploding one after another as soon as they were spotted. The last two in the group noticed their companions turning into scrap metal and promptly tried to scatter to save their own lives. But now with no other hostiles chasing his own craft, Falco quickly shot down the remainder of the group.  
Fara and Peppy on the other hand, had decided to work as a team in annihilating their opposition. Keeping in near constant communication with each other, they simply told the other to swoop on by and fire upon any trailing hostiles.  
As Peppy watched as his latest victim exploded in a shower of sparks and metal, he found himself momentarily distracted by something his computer was trying to tell him. Looking down at it, trying to decipher exactly what it was saying, he completely let his guard down to the happenings around him. Andross' forces made him regret that move quickly.  
His Arwing shuddered as laser fire struck his ship, bluntly reminding him there was still a battle to be fought. Banking hard to the left and lighting up his boosters, the hare made a quick assessment of what was attacking him. "I could use some help here, Fara," he said, noticing a formation of six fighters turning to follow.  
"On my way," replied the vixen, as she fired one last salvo at the lone hostile currently in her sights. One of its wings exploded, sending the craft spinning out of control. It crashed into the Negator seconds afterward. "Go hide behind a turret or something."  
"You make it sound so simple," said Peppy as he swerved to dodge a barrage of firepower headed his way. "Which turret?"  
Fara made a quick check of the sensor data coming in from both Arwings. "That one," she said as she highlighted the one she was indicating with a touch of the screen.  
As designed, the data passed over to the other craft, Peppy seeing her selection almost instantly. "Roger. Be there in a few seconds." He turned, speeding towards the turret in question. As expected, the fighters gave chase, constantly firing upon his rear. He hated being in this position, but it was something he had to live with as currently it was the best way to deal with them.  
In a matter of seconds, he reached the turret in question, using the G-Diffuser system to get out of the line of fire quickly. It took only a few moments for the fighters to round the corner themselves, but by that time Fara was already in position.  
Charging down from above the turret, her blasters streaked out like lightning, her shots striking with deadly accuracy. Now no longer a target in the confusion, Peppy spun around, adding his own firepower to the mix. Within moments, there was nothing left short of debris.  
"Thank you," said Peppy, pleased not to be a moving target.  
"Anytime. I'm here to help." She made a slow loop of the area, seeing if what her radar was telling her was the truth. "What gives? There's nobody left."  
Peppy looked around himself, finding the sudden silence hard to believe. "It looks like it. Watch yourself, incase this is a trap."  
"Duh." She realized that something else was missing. "Where did Falco get off to?"  
"No idea. Considering that he hasn't called for help—"  
"Like he would even if he needed it," she interrupted.  
Peppy laughed. "Good point. You're learning our ways well." Having a free minute with the sudden lack of targets, he took a good look at what his computer was trying to tell him earlier. What it was saying didn't please him in the slightest. Touching a few buttons on the screen, he transmitted some data Fara's direction. "Fara, would you go take a scan where I've indicated? It's where I located the core earlier."  
The vixen sped off, complying without a second thought. "What's wrong?" she asked as her curiosity got the better of her.  
Peppy choose his words carefully, not wanting to worry her too much. "Nothing, really. It looks like Fox has brought down the core of this thing, and I'd like to make sure."  
"Okay. I'll be there shortly."  
"Thanks." Trying to find out what happened to their resident avian, he boosted his com signal and attempted to raise him. "Falco, this is Peppy. Please report your status."  
Falco's signal was weak, but it quickly cleared as he pulled above the many turrets scattered amongst the Negator. He found it odd that they'd stopped tracking his craft. "I'm here, old hare, don't let any more of that fur of yours turn gray in worry. Where the hell did all the baddies go?"  
Peppy continued to peck away at his screen as he looked through the data. This is what Slippy excelled at, but since he wasn't here, it was up to the hare to figure everything out. "I'm not quite sure, which is why I need you to check up on something for me."  
"Shoot."  
"Go visit the all three launch bays of this ship. I'm sending you the data now."  
"Alright, I'm gone. Get back to you in a minute."  
In the meantime, Fara had arrived at the coordinates specified earlier, which were more or less at the center of the massive ship. Unsure of what Peppy was looking for exactly, she began scanning the interior of the craft. It didn't take long before her computer began to complain at her, stating that it was unable to penetrate the surface of the hull.  
Shaking her head as she remembered that the hare had the same exact problems earlier, she made one last check for hostiles in her area before dropping to only a few feet above the capitol ship with her sensors concentrated downwards. She slowed down, giving the computer an easier time as well. To her surprise, she got an answer rather quickly.  
Just not the answer she was expecting.  
With no warning at all, a portion of the hull about 300 feet in front of her exploded, shooting shrapnel into space. The superheated metal and shards of debris narrowly missed her Arwing.  
"By the Creator!" she cursed as she went nearly vertical, her boosters lighting up behind her as she quickly decided that she wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment. "Peppy, we have—"  
Fara's statement was suddenly cut off as another part of the Negator's hull detonated right below where she was. Debris dissolved as it collided with her shields, causing her communications to break up for a moment as the system compensated. She remained quiet, trying to calm herself down after coming rather close to being killed.  
"Fara?" asked a now worried Peppy. "Fara, please respond."  
"I'm okay," she said to the hare after a few seconds. "The Negator isn't though. I just had two pieces of the hull above the power core explode practically in my face."  
Peppy looked over his readings once more as he responded. "That explains why it seems that primary power is offline."  
Falco interrupted the pair as he scouted over his destination. "Fox has really done a number on this thing. I just passed one of the secondary launch bays. It's totaled."  
"What about the main entrance?"  
"I'm still flying there you…" He paused for a moment, sounding much more worried when he came back on. "Shit. Just saw an explosion on the hull. One of the larger turrets just blew."  
Peppy grew slightly irritated with Falco running off on a tangent once more, worried that they had far less time than he thought. "What about the main entrance?"  
"Shut your trap, I'll be there in a minute." The avian watched as another turret spontaneously detonated. "This ship is gonna blow soon. You both know that, right?"  
"I figured," said Fara, now very fearful for Fox's safety. She looked over the capitol ship from some distance away, the occasional explosion clearly visible from her position. "How long does Fox have to get out of there?"  
"I really don't know, Fara," replied Peppy quietly. "Minutes, if I had—"  
Falco interrupted once more. "We have a problem. Or more like our fearless leader has a problem. The main doors are shut tight."  
"Then blow them open!" ordered Fara in a near panic, her worries beginning to come true.  
"Two steps ahead of you. Firing now." The avian unleashed a barrage of blaster fire at the sealed doors, expecting them to be blown open in a matter of shots. Failing that, he figured it wouldn't take too long to punch through the metal, allowing an easy escape route for their leader.  
In the end though, he got neither.  
Instead, his shots were harmlessly absorbed by a shield that seemed to cover this section of the ship.  
"This damn craft is still shielded!" said Falco, stunned at what he was seeing. "I thought you said that main power was offline!"  
"It is," replied Peppy, his voice still calm despite what was happening around him. "It looks like the shields are part of the secondary systems."  
"Isn't that just special. What the hell is the point of shielding this part of the ship instead of having the turrets online?  
"They must think that it's a weak point or something. It doesn't make much sense either."  
"I'm out of ideas, so—" As the ship's condition rapidly deteriorated, the exposed turrets continued to detonate. One exploded near Falco, forcing him to hastily get out of the way before his ship became the latest chunk of space debris. As he moved back into position, he silently cursed before saying, "Damn it! This whole damn ship is gonna explode any second and I can't get inside! Does anybody have any other ideas short of additional firepower?"  
Peppy swung his Arwing around to meet up with Falco, as did Fara after a second's thought. "I have no good ideas," said the hare. "All we have is our blasters as we've depleted our Nova Bombs."  
"Try a Nova Bomb anyway!" ordered Fara once more as she dodged past some debris. "You might get a fourth shot! If we don't get that entrance open, Fox is not going to get out of there alive!"  
"Yes, boss," replied Falco sarcastically. Realizing that it was the only other option though, he did as he was told. He stopped shooting for just a moment, launching off a Nova Bomb towards the still shielded entrance.  
Or at least he tried to. The crystals shattered from the attempted fourth use, jarring his Arwing slightly as an alarm blared. "Damned thing didn't like it at all," he said as he resumed weapons fire. "Something just exploded in the system."  
"I'll be there in twenty," said Peppy quietly. He was trying to remain calm, but it wasn't easy with everything that was happening around him.  
"I'm another thirty behind that," added Fara, having composed herself once more. Another part of the hull detonated beneath her, taking out part of a turret in the process. "Assuming I get there in one piece anyway."  
"Just be careful, Fara," said Peppy. "We're the only hope that Fox has right now it seems."  
"I know. That's what worries me."  
The two Arwings sped along as Falco continued to fire, his shots having little to no effect on the shielding. It was clear to the avian that whoever designed the defenses for this area had done so to keep any intruders from getting inside the more vulnerable areas. Or for making sure that everybody went down with the ship.  
Peppy swung into position a few seconds later, firing a Nova Bomb as soon as he was ready. Unfortunately, he was just as successful as Falco as the crystals shattered in its holder. "No success on my part."  
"The ball's in your court now, Fara," said the avian, making light of the severity of the situation.  
"That isn't funny in the slightest," said Fara, stunned at what she was hearing. "Fox's life is at stake here!"  
"That it is."  
Growing furious over Falco's apparent lack of concern for a fellow teammate, Fara charged onward, simply hoping that she would arrive in time to save Fox's life. Taking a glance at her sensors, trying to make a guess as to how much time she had left, she flew between a pair of turrets near the launch bay, not even thinking twice about how many of them she'd seen explode so far. Had she been looking, she probably would have swerved to avoid them based on the fact that they seemed to be falling apart left and right.  
That mistake almost cost her life.  
Just as she passed between them, barely reaching open space in the process, the turrets detonated, throwing their deadly shrapnel and debris towards her Arwing. Desperately she pushed her craft into a dive and cleared the front of the Negator by only a few feet, sending the other pilots scattering as they got out of her way. Luck still on her side, she somehow avoided taking much in the way of damage.  
"Are you okay, Fara?" asked Peppy as he moved back into position, watching as one of the turret barrels slowly tumbled by overhead.  
Fara groaned as she shifted back into a more comfortable position, trying to relieve the strain the seat straps had put on her as she made the violent turn moments ago. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm firing as soon as I get lined up, so get out of the way."  
"Noted."  
Hoping against hope that she would get another shot out of the crystals that were the lifeblood of the Nova Bomb system, she flipped off the safety and made sure she was lined up. "Please work," she said quietly to herself. She pressed the fire button, listening to the muted hum as the system charged up.  
With a flash, a Nova Bomb launched from her Arwing, far brighter than the occasional explosion seen erupting from the Negator. It streaked unerringly towards its target as the three pilots cheered quietly in their cockpits and hoped for the best, not realizing just how close things had come to being a total disaster.

  
At that exact moment, Fox was charging down the main launch tunnel with flames nipping at his engine exhaust, only seconds from colliding with the still sealed doors. His blasters continued to fire out of desperation, but he had already resigned himself to his fate.  
Fate however, had other plans.  
Seconds before impact, the doors suddenly exploded inward, breaking off their hinges and crumbling into large chunks from the force of the blast. Jarred back to life from this drastic change in events, Fox deftly maneuvered his way between what was left of the gateway, yanking hard on his flight stick to get out of the way of the oncoming fireball as soon as he got clear.  
The Arwing shot out into space, the fireball shooting out behind him, passing just underneath the craft for a short distance before running out of oxygen to fuel its rage. Stunned to find himself back in open space once more, he simply stared out amongst the stars, ignoring everything else for just a moment.  
The rest of the team hadn't missed the dramatic escape though, and were ecstatic at seeing their leader alive and kicking. "Fox!" yelled Fara with glee. "You're alive!"  
The vulpine just sat quietly in his seat as he slowed his craft down, turning back towards his team. One part of him was beaming at how pleased Fara sounded over the com, while the rest of him was simply too floored to believe that he was still in one piece. Obviously, somebody was keeping an eye out for him somewhere. "Thanks, Dad," he said quietly, before flipping on his headset once more. "Glad to be back, everybody. What did I miss?"  
"Our deaths if we don't get the hell out of here right now," said Falco seriously. After watching the sudden exit of their leader, the avian had looked back at the Negator as something had caught his eye. And what he saw was the beginning of the end for the capitol ship.  
The explosion shooting through what was the center of the ship was the absolute last straw for the crippled vessel. The backup power systems detonated one after another from the strain of trying to keep the ship together, causing minor explosions all along its hull. While it would have been rather impressive to watch at a distance, it was quite a dangerous place to be considering how close the four pilots were.  
On top of that though, there was another issue. Starting at only a single spot, and rapidly multiplying as the seconds ticked by, a bright white light could be seen emitting from the cracks and holes along the hull. The team turned and stared at the effect, none of them quite sure what exactly they were looking at.  
At least until Peppy figured it out anyway.  
The hare suddenly turned tail and ignited his boosters, the rest of the team not waiting for an explanation before following. He gave his findings as he rocketed off. "This ship is going supernova!"  
"That's bad," said Fox as the team formed up.  
"That's very bad," said Fara not a second after.  
In an unusual move for the usual blackness of space, the area behind the pilots was turning a bright white color. While this was probably a once in a lifetime experience to watch, none of them wanted to turn around to see the effect, as they all preferred to stay alive. "We're not going fast enough!" hollered Falco. "We need lightspeed now!"  
Fara was concentrating on her computer display, punching in the needed information to get the FTL drives powered up for the team, bypassing the usual safety protocols that would be followed when the computer did all the work. "I'm working on it," she said, hoping that she would get the sequence activated before they all became space dust.  
"You didn't hear me properly. Right now!"  
"It doesn't work that way you fool!" she yelled back, fingers flying while she explained the system to what she considered the brainless avian. "At that speed, a single speck of space dust will obliterate your craft without proper protection! And that's not active without killing the weapon systems! It takes time!"  
The Negator was an oddity among Andross' fleet. Powered by what was best described as a fully contained neutron star, it was the finest and most powerful craft ever seen in the galaxy. It only had one small side effect – once the containment and protection systems failed around the core, it was only a matter of time before the power source was released into the galaxy.  
In essence, creating a new star wherever the ship currently was.  
While any life forms nearby wouldn't survive the formation of the celestial body, prior tests showed that the star itself wouldn't last long before it simply collapsed, its fuel rapidly burning out in an uncontrolled reaction.  
The trick was making sure that you weren't anywhere nearby when that happened.  
The four Arwings began to rumble slightly from the strain of being too close to the forming star, the G-Diffuser systems fighting to keep the craft in one piece, while the shields flared up in an attempt to protect them. In addition, the star's gravity well was grabbing the craft, slowing down their acceleration. It was a battle that the ships simply couldn't survive for long.  
It was now almost impossibly bright behind the pilots. The only thing that one could see no matter where they looked was the blinding light. Their craft was the only source of darkness, the Arwings giving off a diffused shadow in the sea of light.  
"I've got it!" yelled Fara suddenly. "Hold on guys, this is going to hurt as we're not going anywhere near as fast as we should be right now!" Without waiting for another word, she activated the program, not daring to delay any longer.  
The Starfox team was shoved back into their padded seats as their craft rapidly accelerated to just under the speed of light, the G-Diffuser systems unable to compensate for such a drastic change of speed. It took only a few seconds for their ships to reach maximum velocity, but for those who had to experience it first hand, it felt like minutes.  
With a slight rumble, the Arwings reached traveling speed, the engines cutting back to minimal thrust as they now only had to maintain speed and the defensive systems. They didn't stay at that speed long however before the retro-rockets fired, gently bringing them to a halt compared to the rough time they went through accelerating.  
"What did you do that for?" complained Falco as they slowed.  
"I thought you might want to see what we escaped from," replied Fara as she swung her Arwing around, looking at the sight before her. "That and I wanted to double-check my calculations, as to say that they were done in a hurry is an understatement."  
The four sat in the silence of space, watching the newly formed star slowly pulsate in the distance. Its white glow bathed everything in the area with its gentle aura, trying to hide the fact that it was a rather dangerous celestial object to anything nearby. One could see tiny explosions in the distance as what was left of the Negator and its guards burned up as they were grabbed by the star's gravity well. Overall, it was a beautiful sight, as none of the crew had ever seen a star this close before.  
"Are we done here yet?" protested Falco, breaking the silence. "You've seen one star, you've seen them all."  
"Pipe down," responded Fox. Personally, he was more than willing to sit the rest of the day and watch this, especially after what he had gone through just a few minutes earlier. Thanks to being the team's leader, he had other things to think about. "Peppy, any idea what the effects of this in the local system will be?"  
"Nothing good," said the hare, looking out with awe at the view. He wished he had some sort of camera or something to record the proceedings. "It's much smaller than your average star should be though, so your guess is as good as mine."  
"Hopefully this thing will just go away," said Falco, not thinking through what he was saying as usual. "I just know that this definitely doesn't belong here."  
The entire team groaned at that statement, Fara being the lucky one who berated him first. "That's about all you know – stars simply don't go away as you put it."  
Peppy chimed in before the avian could reply to the insult. "I have to say this much though – for all of Andross' misgivings, he sure knows how to make a power source. Being able to harness a star like this, even a small one, is amazing."  
Fox couldn't believe what he was hearing. After all the conflict that the maniacal ape had caused, all the ruined lives around him, all the deaths, the hare was complimenting the one who had killed his father, and probably his mother as well. He had a point though, just not much of one. "And what kind of damage would that ship have caused had we waited until it hit Corneria's orbit to blow it up?"  
Unable to think of an exact answer, Peppy simply made the assumptions that he could guess at. "Catastrophic damage at least, total destruction of the planet at worst. Best guess anyway."  
"And this is why we need to take down that jackass," said Falco, saying the right thing for once.  
"Now that I can agree with," said Fara with a smile from within her cockpit.  
"Agreed," commented Fox. He continued to stare at the lightshow, amazed at what he was looking at. "Have you finished with your tests over there Fara? While I'd love to sit and watch this all day, we do have a galaxy to save."  
The vixen laughed as the results she was looking for appeared on screen. "Yeah, I'm done. You'll be pleased to know that the computer believed that my hurried computations would have gotten us safely home. Let's head out of here, as the galaxy waits for nobody."  
"Good job. I can't wait to see the expression on Pepper's face when he sees this mess. I'll do the honors with the autopilot."  
The team laughed at that point, knowing that out of all the possibilities for their mission, this outcome was not one of them. As usual, they had even greater things to worry about instead. Taking one last long look at the newborn star, the team got their travel orders from Fox's computer, everyone speeding off towards home not too long after that.


	28. Another Mission, Another Meeting

Ever have one of those weeks where you just don't feel like writing at all? That's what my mood as been as of late. While this is a short chapter, don't worry - things are going to pick back up very soon.  
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**Chapter 28: Another Mission, Another Meeting**  
_By the Creator, how did the Starfox team pull this one off? Unfortunately, it's only gone from bad to worse based on these reports. What am I going to do now?_ – Pepper

  
As expected, Pepper was stunned as he looked over the data that the Arwings had gathered. Gary peered over his shoulder, the two of them trying to comprehend what exactly had happened. Amazingly, the two probes that had been tracking the hostiles as they originally approached many an hour ago had survived the conflict, their continuous data being used as a supplement to what they already knew.  
Which ultimately wasn't much.  
They, along with the Starfox team, were currently assembled in the General's meeting room. The pilots had the honor of sitting there quietly while Pepper tried to figure out where to start this mission debriefing.  
He finally looked up from his monitor, moving it to one side so his second-in-command could continue to look at the readouts. "How exactly did this happen again, Junior?"  
Fox groaned, upset at having to explain himself even though all the data they had was freely available for them to look at. "That's what happened after the Negator was destroyed, General."  
"And incase you missed that little part," interrupted Falco, "that damned thing almost took the four of us out with it."  
Pepper nodded, not in the mood to argue with the avian's tone of voice. "Yes, I've gone through the Arwing's logs already. They do agree with what you've said."  
"But how do we stop that thing?" asked Fara. "That's not exactly the best thing to have floating around the system."  
"A good question," said Gary as he looked up from the monitor. "And a question we simply don't have an answer for right now. That's for the scientific community to figure out, not us. At least it's nowhere near any orbital paths of any planet in the system."  
"Lucky us for once," muttered Falco.  
Fox shook his head at his teammate's remark as he asked, "Is there anything else you need from us, sirs? My crew and I are in need of some R and R after today's little excursion."  
"You're done for now," said Pepper. "Go take the rest of the day off." He stood up, the team wasting no time in doing the same. "I have two things to say before you leave though. You've done a wondrous job today. This single mission has wiped out what looks to be a huge portion of Andross' fleet, and will hopefully be the point that which he cannot recover from. It has also shown that when you put your minds to it, you can simply accomplish anything you want to."  
Smiles and grins passed from teammate to teammate, everyone extremely proud to hear such kind words. "I think my whole team will wholeheartedly agree when I simply say thank you for saying that to us. We do what we can, and we'll do our best to continue onward to victory in the coming days."  
The General simply nodded at that statement. "The only other thing to say is far smaller – I'll need you later, Junior, for yet another media conference. I'll call you later. Other than that, you're free to go."  
"Will do. Crew, I think a celebration is in order. Let's go." With a nod or a wave to their boss, the pilots left, thoughts of a party running happily through their minds.

  
The Starfox team arrived in the mess hall not too long after that, looking for an entertaining afternoon either by the others on base or via a drink or two. Fortunately for them, Pepper had secretly let a few talkative members of the base know of their accomplishments, and in return had gathered quite a crowd for the pilots by the time they arrived. Many cheers were given for their victory against overwhelming odds, and the team was forced to boast about their accomplishments many times over a meal and a few drinks.  
While the average person would just smile and nod while the pilots talked about their war stories, the people assembled around them were genuinely interested, as most of them were directly associated with the Arwing project in one way or another. Any glory and successes the team had were also in part to the skill of the ones who had designed and built the craft in the first place. It also inspired the people who flew the standard patrol craft, as they thought that with enough time and training, they too might be the next McCloud in the skies.  
The best part though, was that it showed that the team were all real people, people who had concerns about who they were protecting, people who had problems and feelings as well, instead of acting how the average fighter jock was portrayed in your mindless action flick.  
The four spent far longer than they should have in the mess hall, but with the staff constantly coming and going, as they came in and left to do their duties, it never took too long to have a fresh set of people to talk to. They didn't have any other plans for that day, as the General had clearly decided to let the team have the rest of the day off, so they lavished in the praise of the personnel.  
In the end though, it was Pepper himself oddly enough that ended their enjoyment, as Fox was called to the media room upstairs to do another interview with the media. Pausing only long enough to suggest to his team to spend some time checking up on Slippy and to watch over the avian, as once again Falco had digested too much alcohol in a matter of hours, he was off. He made a mental note to visit his sick teammate afterwards as well.  
As he worked his way upstairs, Fox had a few minutes to himself. Thinking back to the mission, he realized that in all the excitement, he hadn't asked who had saved his hide earlier in the day. He grinned as he guessed that odds were that it was Falco who had done the deed. Knowing him, he would be gloating that he had helped their fearless leader, as the avian would put it, live through another day.  
While Pepper and Fox had an entertaining conversation with the media upstairs, the rest of the team was in Slippy's room, checking up on their sick teammate while watching the interview on TV. The toad was doing far better than yesterday, as he was up and around instead of buried under the covers like before. The medics still wanted him out of action for at least another day though, so there was no chance of seeing him flying the next day. Instead, the team kept him occupied by describing the day's events.  
At the same time, Fox was once again in the media spotlight. While the interviewers seemed interested and impressed by the amazing victory the Starfox team had today, they spent most of their time talking about their concerns over the sudden appearance of a new star inside the system. While Pepper promised that there was nothing to worry about, and that they were doing everything in their power to get rid of it, it didn't seem to relieve their concerns much. In the end, the General made sure that the interview ended with a high note, letting everyone know that Andross had been dealt a severe blow by this victory.  
Walking out of the media room, pleased with the resolution of the meeting, Fox began to run down his mental list of things that he needed to do. As the list was rather small, he decided to start with the first one on the list.  
A short elevator ride later, he found himself back on the 6th floor, footsteps muffled by the carpeting beneath him. He walked up to Slippy's door, pushing the call button as he said, "Hey, Slippy, it's Fox. You got a moment?"  
"Door's open," was the toad's response from inside.  
The door slid open quietly, allowing Fox to see inside. A quick check revealed that the rest of the team had left, leaving Slippy alone for the time being. As it was, the room's occupant was currently ignoring the newcomer, as he had his face buried in the computer at the far end of the room. "Glad to see you're up, Slip," said Fox as he walked inside, wondering if his teammate was feeling better, or if he was just hiding it make him not worry as much. "What's going on?"  
Slippy spun around in his chair, blinking his eyes to refocus his vision. "Nothing too exciting. Pepper's put out a general request to the scientific community to see if they can figure out what exactly needs to be done to get rid of that celestial body that appeared in the aftermath of your battle. I figured that since I had some free time, I might as well take a look."  
"Nice to hear that the best that we have are looking in on things."  
"Thanks." The toad stood up and stretched, breaking out into a yawn as he did so. "I'm just glad to see that you're still here after that battle. I was looking over your flight data as well, Fox. You know you barely made it out alive today."  
Fox nodded. "Tell me about it. We've been through worse though." Remembering that this was related to another one of his things to do, he figured he might as well ask. "Since you're been checking up on my fight earlier, do you know who saved my hide at the end there?"  
Slippy thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Sorry, no. I've only had the chance to look through the data provided by your Arwing and the probes nearby. I haven't looked at the others yet."  
"No problem. I'll just check with the crew." He took a good look at his fellow pilot and tried to gauge his health. "How you feeling?"  
"Pretty good for the most part. I still have the occasional cough, but the medics don't want me to be in the skies until I'm fully cured."  
"Good to hear. Don't worry, we'll leave a few planets for you to help us conquer." The two pilots laughed for a moment at the joke. "Well, I might as well let you get back to work. Catch up with you later."  
Slippy nodded, sitting back down in the nearby chair. "You four be careful out there in the meantime, okay? We've had nothing but very close battles so far, and sooner or later our luck is going to run out."  
"I know." Fox stood there quietly, knowing that while he agreed what his friend just said, he knew that many of the battles so far have had their share of close calls. Far too many to be attributed to the skill of the pilots under his command. He knew that he would be completely devastated if something happened to any of his friends, no matter the conditions around him at that moment. "Don't worry, Slip, we'll be careful. You just concentrate on getting better."  
"Will do. See you around." With a wave, Fox turned and left, one thing knocked off his mental to-do list.

  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the system, things were anything but peaceful. Once Andross learned that his invincible armada had been anything but, he had gone into a furious rage, lashing out at anybody and anything he could get his paws on. But as everything inside his control room was rather valuable, and that killing another of his advisors was inadvisable from a tactical standpoint, there was very little he could bring his anger down on.  
Short of the new conference table that one of his guards had brought in earlier in the day.  
The dull gray plastic table lay in tiny pieces at Andross' boots, looking nothing like its original form. No piece larger than his fist was visible on the floor, anything bigger destroyed by either his physical or mental prowess.  
No plan of his had worked so far. Every attempt to destroy the Starfox team had ended in dismal failure. Even when he was assured of victory, it was snatched away from him like a child's toy. He was beginning to run out of ships to simply throw at the pilots, in the off chance that they might succeed.  
But their luck couldn't hold out forever.  
One of these days, Andross' own good fortune would return. One ship had already been shot down on the first day of the counterattack. One more could easily be the event that tipped the scales back to his side.  
He just had to figure out how to do it.  
Sitting down upon his usual seat by his many monitors that watched over his empire, he began to plan. He was always planning.  
He also needed a new desk.


	29. When Good Intentions Go Bad

Ever wondered what happened to Fox's mother so long ago? Here's my take on what happened.

Janus - don't worry, Andross won't let his biggest advantage go to waste.  
Lylatian Fox - glad to see that my own writings have inspired another writer to start his own fan fiction. May you keep reading my own works as well, and I'll keep an eye out for yours.  
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**Chapter 29: When Good Intentions Go Bad**  
_I can't believe we pulled this one off. I don't think anyone's ever seen that kind of offensive force and lived to tell about it. Not only did we win, but we got out without any losses as well. Our luck can't hold forever though. I'm just afraid at who's going to die first under my command._ – Fox

  
Back out in the main hallway, Fox debated on which goal he should accomplish next. The choice was made for him by chance as he spotted Peppy leaving his room with a book in one paw. The hare nodded in greeting as Fox said his own. "Afternoon, Pepster."  
Peppy looked over drolly as he never liked that nickname much. "Funny. What's up?"  
"Not much." Assuming that the hare was on his way elsewhere based on what he was carrying, he figured that he might as well make this quick. "I just have a question for you. Do you have any idea who saved my life in the fight earlier? I never had a chance to ask before."  
The hare thought for only a moment before responding. "Fara is the one you need to thank for that one."  
Fox looked surprised. "Fara?"  
"That's right," said the hare with a nod. "The main entrance was heavily shielded, so we had to resort to the Nova Bombs to blow our way in. Hers was the only one that worked out of the three of us."  
He nodded, thankful to hear that it was her, and not Falco, that had saved him. "I guess I will then. Thanks for the info." Giving a wave to his teammate, Fox walked down the hallway and passed by the other pilots' quarters before reaching his destination.  
He touched the door panel and got as far as taking in a breath to announce himself before Fara's cheerful voice interrupted him through the speaker. "Come in."  
With a shrug, Fox walked through the door that swished open at his approach. "Afternoon, Fara," he said as he spotted her sitting down at her computer.  
She spun around in her chair, a smile on her face as she looked upon the vulpine. "Hiya, Fox. What's up?"  
Fox looked for a seat before responding, deciding upon the spare chair that sat up against the other desk. He pulled it out and spun it around backwards, resting his arms upon the chair's back. "Nothing much. I just wanted to thank you for what you did earlier."  
Fara thought through the day's events and tried to figure out what exactly he meant. Not finding the answer, she let out a confused, "Huh?"  
Fox smiled inwardly as he thought about how modest the vixen was – she had saved his life and didn't even want to admit it. "You know, when you used a Nova Bomb at the end of the fight to blow open the main entryway of the Negator. You saved my life doing that."  
"Oh, that." She shrugged, wondering just where Fox was trying to go with this. "I only did what I had to do to get you out of there. You know that the others tried before me, right?"  
He nodded. "I realize that. But if you hadn't succeeded, I would've been nothing but a very crisp part of my former self. Thank you."  
Fara smiled, wondering if she was hearing some of the strangest pick up lines in the universe. But the vulpine seemed to be simply honest about his feelings and nothing more, so she played along with his game for now. "Thank you. I can tell that…" She quieted as she watched as Fox's once happy face suddenly changed to one on the verge of tears. She stood up, not sure what was going on. "Fox, you okay?"  
He was anything but. With his mental defenses weakened after his harrowing escape earlier, his last statement had accidentally triggered a flood of memories. Memories that were better off buried. Memories of what had happened to him and his mother, so many years ago.  
Suddenly, Fox was no longer in Fara's room. He wasn't anywhere on the base for that matter. He wasn't even the same age. Instead, he was deep within his memories, back at that fateful day when his mother died. A day that he tried to forget, but never could. A day that would probably haunt his dreams for years to come.  
It's one of the worst things a child could possibly experience – watching a parent die right in front of their eyes. Fox had that experience personally.  
The images rushed to him, flooding his senses with their clarity. He heard the same sounds, smelled the same smells, saw the same events as they were many years before. It was twelve years ago in the suburbs of Corneria City when the vulpine's joyful world came crashing down around him.  
It was a bright and sunny spring morning for the McCloud household. It was the weekend, which meant that all three members of the family had the day off from their respective jobs and schooling. It was your average dull day, where everyone was simply pleased to be around each other, wanting essentially nothing.  
All short of young Fox, anyway.  
He was a very energetic little kit back then, always wanting to do something to keep his mind and body occupied. His parents looked upon him proudly, knowing that their son could easily excel at anything that he put his mind to, and that they would be around to see it.  
Today was the day that everything was going to change.  
Fox wanted to go spend at least rest of the morning at a nearby park, a place that the family had visited and spent quite a bit of time in before. He knew many of the other kids in the medium-class neighborhood, and odds are that a few of them would be there as well this fine day. Vixy, his mother, was more than glad to take her son out, allowing James to enjoy his time away from work.  
The young McCloud bounced around the house in excitement. He always enjoyed the outdoors, but as he, nor the other families in the area, had much of a backyard in the small subdivision, he never got out much except during their trips to the park. Vixy packed a few sandwiches for the pair, smiling as she watched her energetic son run around.  
James walked over to his wife at this point, giving her a quick peck on the cheek while cuddling her around the waist. "Vixy, my dear, why don't you take the convertible instead of your bulky van? You know how much Fox prefers riding in it."  
She nodded, twisting in his grasp so she could return the kiss head on. "Sure, dear. We'll be back soon." Raising her voice as she squirmed free, she called out to her son. "Come on, Fox, I'm ready!"  
"Coming, Mom!" he hollered as he raced out of the living room, running right into her crouched form with his arms outstretched.  
With a groan, Vixy picked up her son and ruffled his headfur. "You know you're getting too heavy for me, cutie."  
"Aw, Mom!" moaned Fox. He always loved being carried around by his mother, and was upset at the thought of losing this.  
She smiled as she put him back down, taking grasp of one of his paws. "Let's go, Fox, shall we?"  
"Yeah!" cheered the younger vulpine, all his problems instantly forgotten.  
The two walked out of the house, pausing long enough to pick up the car keys to James' vehicle on the coffee table on the way out. In the excitement though, they forgot their lunches on the kitchen counter.  
That one little event probably prevented Fox from ending up like his mother.  
James McCloud was the proud owner of a dark red convertible, one with a fold down top. Fox had always enjoyed riding in the vehicle, in part due to the loud rumble of the engine, and because he loved the wind whipping through his fur. The only thing he liked being in more were the craft that his father flew for a living, but those times were very few and far between, as the military heavily frowned upon bringing such a youngster into the area.  
Fox broke free of his mother's grasp and ran over to the car, as if somehow knowing that was to be their destination. He jumped up and down in excitement as Vixy approached, confirming his guess.  
She unlocked the doors with the key chain remote, Fox clambering inside within moments. Climbing in herself, she stuck the key in the ignition and was about to turn it when she realized that she had forgotten their lunch. "Fox, dear," she said, looking over to her son with a smile, "I forgot our meals on the kitchen counter. Could you go get them for me?"  
"Sure, Mom. Be right back!" Jumping out of the car, he ran back inside, passing by his father who was standing just outside the front door, ready to wave goodbye to the rest of his family. Little did James know that his simple wave might have been his last.  
Fox charged inside, picking up the paper bag without slowing down. He ran back out and had just passed by his father once more when he happened to look up at his mother's face. She smiled at him, having no idea what was about to happen.  
At that moment, she turned the key.  
The internal combustion engine, which was still being used in all vehicles as the electrical-based hovercraft technology of current times hadn't been invented yet, exploded into a blinding ball of flame. Sparks traveled down the fuel line in the process, causing the fuel in the fully loaded gas tank to detonate moments afterward.  
Vixy McCloud died instantly in the fiery inferno.  
A column of flame erupted from what was the car, shooting into the morning sky. Every window facing the front of the house shattered, glass showering everywhere from the concussion of the blast.  
Fox was blown backwards and miraculously crashed into his father. They both toppled into the carpeted front entryway of their house, leaving them relatively unharmed.  
The young vulpine was knocked unconscious from the proximity of the explosion, and his father was never forthcoming afterward over what had happened in the few minutes he was out cold. When he groggily came to a bit later, all Fox knew that there were more faces than he could count looking at him, and none of them was James. While some were familiar, the faces of the families nearby, there were also multiple people dressed in the standard white garb of medical personnel.  
He wasn't pleased being poked and prodded, the others trying to make sure that he was okay. Fox only had one thought on his mind – find his father, as he could make everything better.  
Wriggling free of the paws that shot out to stop him from leaving, he ran to the only place he could think of where his father might be – outside.  
Racing out into once was a clear, peaceful morning, his eyes first fell upon the car. Or at least what was left of it. The vehicle was a charred, unrecognizable collection of steel and plastics. Water slowly dripped off the burnt pieces, pooling around the feet of the nearby fire department before reaching the end of the driveway. The ones in blue looked at the vulpine, not having any idea what to say to him.  
But their worries were for naught, as Fox finally found his objective – the older McCloud. James was a vulpine of integrity, of steadfastness, always paying attention to the rest of his family, and always able to do so without any of the negatives of the world affecting him in the slightest. He made sure to always have a positive attitude when his son was around, as he never wanted him to experience the awful reality of what went on elsewhere. He wanted to make sure that Fox had a perfect childhood.  
Today, everything changed.  
Unable to control his emotions anymore, James was doing the only thing that would be natural in this situation. He was crying.  
He had dropped to his knees a few feet from the destroyed vehicle, his shirt soaked not only from the water that had been used to put out the fire, but from the tears that refused to stop pouring out, even with his paws trying their best to dam the flow. He was paying attention to nothing around him, short of his loneliness and his tears.  
Fox couldn't stand to see his father this way. Ignoring the arid smoke drifting out from the wreck, he ran over, grabbed him in the biggest hug his little form could possibly give out, and refused to let go.  
It took a few seconds, but James finally noticed the attention, turning to look at his son with bloodshot eyes. He blinked away the tears best he could, giving a weak smile to the vulpine. "I…I'm sorry," he finally rasped, his first attempts at speaking coming out as nothing but a sputter.  
Taking a quick look at the mangled car, Fox finally burst into tears himself, tightening his hold on his father. He had nothing to say, but he did let the tears flow.  
James pulled his son close and hugged him in return, searching desperately for anything he could say to make everything better. There wasn't though. Giving up, he said the only thing on his mind. "Don't worry, son, Mom…she's gone to a much better place. I won't leave you, ever. I promise."  
Unfortunately, even the most simple of promises made in the most desperate of situations couldn't be kept in the years to come.

  
Meanwhile, Fara looked upon Fox with increasing panic as he rapidly deteriorated in her room. Not having any idea what was going on with the vulpine, she desperately paged the first person she could think of that would be helpful – Peppy. In the few seconds it took to make her call over the base's intercom system, Fox had fallen out of his chair with a thump and curled up into a fetal position on her carpeted floor.  
Fortunately for both of them the hare was still nearby, having returned to his room to swap the book he was carrying with him just moments ago. Little did he know that he wasn't going to get much time in the way of reading anytime soon. Hearing the fright in Fara's voice, he ran down the hallway to her room, the door opening for him without a pause.  
He looked over the room as he entered, his gaze coming to rest upon the two figures on the floor. Fara had kneeled down over Fox, trying her best to comfort his non-responsive self, but it was clear that she had no idea what to do. "What did you do to him?" asked Peppy incredulously, possibilities running through his mind at what might had transpired, none of them good ones.  
She looked up with shock, having not even heard the hare enter as her attention was so focused on the unconscious vulpine. "Nothing!" she practically shrieked, stunned that he could possibly think that she would want to cause harm to any of the team.  
Peppy paused, taking a deep breath as he realized that jumping to conclusions wasn't going to help anyone right now. He kneeled down next to her and checked Fox's vitals. "I'm sorry," he said as he worked. "Let me rephrase that. What were you doing when this happened?"  
"We…we were just talking," she replied, calmer this time. "We were both sitting down when he just fell apart with no warning." She looked over at Fox again, uneasiness growing in the pit of her stomach. "Is he going to be okay? Should I call for the medics?"  
The hare shook his head as he pulled his paws away, making a quick mental calculation in his head as to his heart rate, trying to piece together the situation. It seemed familiar to him somehow, but he just couldn't place it. "His pulse and breathing are above normal, but other than that he seems fine. If I may ask, what were you two talking about when this happened?"  
Fara kept looking back and forth between the two males, the concern clearly shown on her face. She absently put a paw into the vulpine's headfur, stroking his head as if it would make everything better. "Fox was doing all the talking. He was complimenting me about how I had saved him from turning into a crisp part of his former self, or something like that, when he just dropped."  
Peppy closed his eyes and sighed, dropping his head upon hearing what Fara had to say. "You know better than that, Fox," he muttered under his breath. "When are you going to learn?"  
As expected, Fara had no idea what he was talking about. "What do you mean?" she asked, completely confused. None of this made any sense to her, and it worried her immensely.  
Noticing the vixen's absentminded caress of Fox, he decided that it couldn't hurt to reveal some of his past. "Fara, did you know that Fox currently has no parents, no upper guidance from his family?"  
She nodded. "Pepper told me some of his family history the other day."  
He grumbled silently, wondering what else the canine had told of the team's past and history. "Interesting. I take it you know what happened to both parents then, correct?"  
She looked over at Fox, a sorrowful expression on her face. "Yeah. Somewhat anyway. I didn't get too many details."  
Peppy debated for a moment on where to start. "Did the General tell you how his mother passed away?" She nodded again. "Well, I don't know too much more than this, but I do know that Fox was around when it happened."  
"That's terrible!" she exclaimed, trying to think what she would have done if something like that had happened to her.  
"Unfortunately, I never learned how much, if anything, he saw. James basically refused to tell me anything, and I never wanted to pry by asking Fox."  
"Poor thing," commented Fara sadly. "Will he be okay?"  
Peppy wandered through his memories, thinking back to when this had happened before. "He should be. This makes instance three unfortunately, and I'm worried that he'll break down like this in a tense situation one of these days." He noticed the question on her unhappy lips, one that she didn't want to ask. He decided to answer it for her without her prompting. "First on Corneria, when he was told that his father was killed. The second was after a mission gone horribly wrong on Papetoon. A real knuckle-biter, one that almost got the lot of us slaughtered."  
She closed her eyes, thinking quietly to herself. As she opened them again a few seconds later, she noticed the caresses she had been giving all this time and pulled her paw away slowly, hoping that the hare hadn't noticed. "Fortunately for Fox, he has three very good friends."  
"That he does," replied Peppy. "However, I think your count is a tad off." He smiled gently, making sure he didn't turn the affection that Fara had been giving into a negative. "Four seems to be a bit more accurate. Don't think that I didn't see that, my dear."  
Fara looked away from the hare's gaze, embarrassed at letting her feelings known. There was something about Fox, something that drew her towards him. She didn't know what it was exactly, nor did she know if that was a good thing or not. Trying to change the subject, she asked, "How much longer is he going to be like this?"  
"A good question, and one I don't have an answer for unfortunately." He looked over to the vulpine, trying to formulate a better response. "Mind if I try something?"  
"Sure." Fara slowly stood up and moved out of the way. "What can I do to help?"  
"I'm not quite sure yet." Peppy moved over to one side, grasping Fox by the shoulders and flipped him onto his back. The vulpine resisted, more than happy being on his side for the time being. "Fox, this is Peppy. I know you can hear me in there. It's time to come back to us."  
Fara watched sadly as Fox fought back, pounding his paws slowly on the carpeted floor as he tried to turn himself back over. The hare refused to give up so easily. Tightening his grip, he continued. "Fox, listen to my voice. Come away from your memories. They happened in the past. They are uncontrollable and outside of your reach. Come back to the present, where your friends are. We're waiting for you to return."  
The vulpine quietly groaned, his struggles growing weaker. "Come on, Fox," continued Peppy gently, "what are you hiding from? We're all right here. Come back to us."  
With a sigh, Fox stopped moving, lying on the floor like he was asleep. After a few seconds, his eyes opened slowly, squinting in an attempt to adjust to the light. His gaze fell upon Peppy, closing them once more as he recognized the hare. "It happened again, didn't it?" he weakly asked with a groan.  
"Yes it did." Peppy looked over his teammate, trying to judge his condition. "Are you okay in there, Fox?"  
"What do you think?" he muttered quietly. With another groan, he batted Peppy's paws away and slowly sat up. He rubbed his eyes, trying to chase away the afterimages of what he had just seen. "I feel like I was just run over by an Arwing."  
The hare smiled, getting out of the way incase Fox decided to rise. "Glad to see that you're okay. Interesting choice of words though."  
"Thanks." He twisted around and got ready to push himself to his feet when he noticed Fara sitting on the edge of her bed. He smiled weakly, clearly embarrassed at being found like this. "Uh, hi."  
She smiled back, her face quickly changing to one of concern. "You okay?"  
It took a moment before Fox responded. "No," he said, looking away from her in embarrassment.  
Fara leaned down and offered a paw. "Need some help?"  
He looked back, unable to miss the worry in her voice. "Yeah." He reached up, grabbed her paws, and pulled himself to his feet. He looked around for a moment, locating the chair where he started this ordeal, and promptly dropped into it with a groan. "Sorry about scaring you like that, Fara."  
"Don't worry about it." She smiled suddenly. "I mean, I've had males fall for me before, so why not you?"  
Peppy snickered at the joke, trying to lighten the mood in the room just a tad, while at the same time not knowing how Fox would take it. Fortunately, he took it well, the vulpine shaking his head, the grin on his face revealing his true feelings. "Very funny."  
"I try." She debated on asking the question that was just hanging in the air, not knowing how he would respond to it. Her curiosity got the better of her in the end though, and she hoped that he would comply with her not so simple request. "So, Fox…what happened back there? What did you see?"  
His answer was swift. "Nothing," he said, dropping his head in sadness.  
Peppy sighed. "Fox, you need to tell somebody. It doesn't matter whom, but you just can't keep your emotions bottled up like this. We're here to help."  
His tone turned hostile as he looked up and spoke his mind. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Talk about your problems. I hear it all the time from you. Maybe I don't want to talk about it for once."  
"Fox, please," pleaded Fara. She couldn't stand to see him this way, so much sadness and pain trapped inside.  
Fox looked at his teammates, one his friend for years, the other a friend for just days. He could see the concern in their faces, how eager they were to help. They just wanted to listen to his problems, nothing more.  
Unfortunately, he would have to live through his mother's death again to do so.  
He glared at Peppy, still upset. "You know, you make my life so damn difficult some days." He looked to Fara as he continued. "You on the other hand…" He grumbled, not finding the right words.  
Instead, the vixen tried to supply them. "I'm a royal pain in the tail for someone you've only known for five days, right?" She grinned afterwards, trying to emphasize the joke.  
Fox simply wasn't in the mood for another laugh, nor did he want to explain his past to anybody. He stood up and steadied himself for a moment, then proceeded to walk right out of the room, neither pilot making a move to stop him.  
At least not physically anyway. Realizing that he had no intention of staying around, and wanting to do anything in her power to help, Fara shook her head sadly as she said to nobody in particular, "Computer, door lock."  
Inches away from the door, the vulpine came to a sudden halt, noticing that his exit wasn't going to open like it should have. He turned around slowly, aiming his now seething rage at the one who kept it closed. "Let. Me. Out."  
Fara stared him straight in the eyes, refusing to back down. "No. You need our help, and we're here to give it. Take it instead of hiding your feelings again."  
Fox had hit the end of his patience. All he wanted to do was to leave and forget this entire incident, and these two were pushing him beyond his limits, trying to make him reveal something that he did not want to tell anyone about.  
His common sense was buried as his rage took over, a rage that threatened everyone around him.  
"Let me out of here!" he yelled as he clenched his paws into fists, advancing slowly towards Fara who sat only a few feet away. His only primal thoughts were of going after the one who kept him trapped like this.  
"Fox, no!" hollered Peppy as he jumped to his feet. He stayed put though, having seen these rages before, knowing that provoking him further was a bad idea at best. He just didn't know what he could do, as he knew that he couldn't take the vulpine in a fight. Especially in this kind of mood.  
Fara's eyes grew wide as she cowered in fear, his sudden aggression coming as a complete shock to her. Any rational thoughts were wiped clean as she looked at the livid hatred on his face, the only thing now visible to her.  
"Think of what you're doing, Fox!" shouted Peppy, desperate to get him to stop, but not knowing how other than trying to get him to think. "You will regret this the rest of your life if you continue!"  
Fox stopped mid-step, a confused expression appearing on his face as he stared at the diminutive vixen that was quivering in fright. He stood there, his anger draining away as he realized what he had almost done. He collapsed to his knees, tears starting to wet his furred face, his arms shaking as they fought to hold him upright.  
The others knew that the rage had left as quickly as it came, leaving them safe for now.  
Peppy kneeled down next to the vulpine, shooting an angry look at Fara for pushing the issue. "Come on, Fox," he said quietly, "let's go back to your room. We can worry about all of this later."  
"No," he muttered. He looked up towards the hare, then at Fara, his eyes still watering. "I…I'm sorry about this. But you're right. Fara's right. I…I do need to talk about this."  
The vixen moved to get off the bed, not really knowing how close she had come to serious harm. She was still frightened as to his prior actions, however. "I can leave you two alone—"  
"No," interrupted Fox. "After what I just did, you deserve to know."  
She smiled weakly. "Thanks."  
"Thank me later." Moving to a more comfortable sitting position upon the floor, he began his story. It took some time to go through it all, and he had to stop multiple times due to him falling into tears at the more upsetting parts. In the end though, he went over in detail his incident, filling them in on a little known part of his life.  
As he talked, Peppy listened in, making comments and asking questions where needed. He hated seeing Fox like this, his friend of many years in tears like a kit. He hoped that this discussion would stop any additional relapses, as he didn't want to see this happen again.  
Fara on the other hand kept quiet the entire time, not knowing his past like the hare did. She felt sorry for him as he continued to talk, having lost his mother right in front of his face like that. Even worse was the fact that he lost his father also in a situation outside of his control. She understood why he was so eager to seek revenge against Andross, as according to what Pepper knew, it was anything but an accident.  
Fox finally finished his sad tale, ending with a short on some of the things he remembered doing with both his parents over the years. It was a small list, as he was too young then to keep track of it all, but he had a few good memories. He eventually quieted, wiping his few remaining tears away, slumping to one side as he relaxed.  
The three kept quiet afterwards, none of them wanting to break the silence. Peppy and Fara kept glancing at each other, as if trying to decide who should speak first. The hare finally spoke up and looked at Fox with worry. "Thanks for telling us what happened, Fox. It explains a few things that we never knew about you after all these years."  
"Are you okay though?" asked Fara, concerned with Fox's mental well being after going through his tragedy a second time.  
"I'll be fine," he said after a few seconds of silence. He slowly stood up, looking over the other two. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go now." He turned to leave.  
"If you need us—"  
"I know." He got as far as the door, almost walking into it as it refused to open again. "Uh, Fara?" he asked without turning around.  
"Sorry. Computer, door unlock." The door swished open, responding to her request. Fox left without another word, the door closing behind him.  
Peppy looked over at the vixen as he prepared to leave as well. "Nice little feature there with the doors. Is that standard?"  
She shook her head. "No. I'm working on getting the computer to accept limited voice commands in my spare time. I haven't really done much beyond that."  
"Ah." He stood up and moved towards the exit, his tone growing more serious. "Fara, don't do something like that again." She went to interrupt him, but he just continued. "I know it had a positive resolution, and I'm thankful for that. However, as you can see, Fox has a limit that can be broken easily. When he goes beyond that, his violent nature breaks free and lashes out at anyone around him. And that includes his friends."  
She sighed. "Okay. He…he just needed our help. We had to give it to him."  
"I know. But don't push him. For your sake, as well as ours."  
"I…understand. See you later."  
With a wave Peppy left, leaving Fara alone once more. She sat there, wondering if she did the right thing. Fox did need their help back there, but she didn't know if it was beneficial to make him do the things they put him through. She wondered how many other secrets he kept hidden from the rest of them.  
At what point though would the costs of uncovering these secrets be too great for him to handle?


	30. Secrets, Concerns, and Missions

And here's chapter 30. As I write this, a year has almost passed since I started writing and uploading this story. And thanks to all readers and reviewers of my fic, I've been able to keep moving forward.

Enjoy another chapter. Things are picking up.

Oh, and a big thank you to this site in changing around the html rules I've been using for the last year. There goes any hope of seeing my fic looking like it used to in previous chapters. Sorry.

* * *

**Chapter 30: Secrets, Concerns, and Missions**

_Poor Fox. He's gone through one hardship after another during his life, with no reprieve in sight. I really shouldn't have pushed him like that though. He deserves better... Especially from someone like myself... _– Fara

_I hate my childhood. All I remember are the bad things._ – Fox

The rest of the day and night progressed quickly, the pilots keeping to themselves as time passed. After the incident in Fara's room earlier, nobody wanted to push their luck further, so they stayed away from each other. Falco on the other hand was kept completely out of the loop, wondering why nobody was in the mood to say or do anything.

The next morning found only four pilots, Slippy still under doctor's orders to stay out of the cockpit, once again having their daily early meeting in Pepper's office. Continuing the pattern, the General was once again late to his own briefing, pissing off the pilots to no end.

Well, Falco at least anyway. As usual, he was ranting and raving over the complete lack of anything to do while they waited. "Is Pepper ever going to be on time to any of his so called meetings?"

"Oh pipe down," snapped Peppy as he put down his typical cup of coffee, having not gotten much sleep from how worried he was over yesterday's events.

The avian looked over, surprised to hear such hostile words from the normally peaceful hare. "Geez, what got up your tailpipe this morning?"

"Keep it civil, you two," interrupted Fox.

"What did I say?" complained Falco as he looked over the team. Fara simply shook her head as everyone else kept quiet, prompting him to continue. "Keeping me out of the loop again? What the heck is up with you guys?"

Fortunately, Pepper decided at that moment to walk in, silencing everyone with his presence. "A General's life is never idle," he muttered as he sat down in his usual chair. He looked at the assembled pilots and put down his steaming drink nearby. "Time to get down to business."

One button-press on his remote later, the screen nearby came to life, displaying the whitish star through one of the nearby probes. "And here is yesterday's problem once again." He pushed a second button, the image changing to the same thing from a different angle. "No, that's not it." A third press found the one he was looking for. "There it is."

On the screen was what looked to be the first shot, overlaid with diagrams that made little sense to the pilots. "Now, I've been told that this jumbled mess actually means something to the scientific community, but to make things simple, it's stating that this newly formed star has shrunk since yesterday."

The Starfox team looked at each other, concerned with what that meant. As expected, Peppy was the first to understand the jumbled mess. "That means this star is burning through its fuel at an exponential rate, correct?"

Pepper nodded. "Correct. At least that's what they tell me anyway."

"This doesn't bode well for us," commented Fara.

"But what do you want us to do about it?" asked Fox as he tried to figure out today's mission.

All eyes looked up front, waiting for the answer. "Today's mission is a simple one," said Pepper. "We need more data on that star. The probes that are currently there are not designed for continuous use. Nor are they set up to gather the data properly needed. As it is, their batteries are expected to fail within an hour or two, so they need to be replaced."

Falco grumbled from his seat. "Let me take a guess – we're gonna be the delivery service for these things, right?"

The General sighed as he looked angrily at the avian. He wondered why nobody could ever simply follow his orders without complaint. "Yes. Do you have a problem with it?"

"No shooting?"

"No."

"No killing?"

"Damn it."

"Can it, Falco," said Fox, quieting the avian. After a sigh he continued. "Sorry. All the data will be in the flight computer, correct? Nothing more other than travel and drop?"

Pepper nodded. "Correct. You'll have to stay around for a short while to make sure that the probes are working correctly, but other than that your assumptions are accurate."

"I have a question, General," said Fara, as she wanted to get in on some action herself. "Are there other plans to continue the recovery efforts of the system after refueling and such?"

"As far as today goes, not likely." He held up a paw, silencing the next question for a moment. "I do have a reason, and it's for your safety." He typed a few keys on the keyboard attached to his private screen, causing the monitor the pilots saw to change to the security camera footage of the engineering bay. It showed the staff hard at work on the Arwings, tools scattered everywhere as they concentrated on three of the craft. "You're no longer fully armed."

While the other pilots wondered what exactly that meant, Fara simply said, "The Nova Bomb launchers, right?"

Pepper nodded once more as he took a slow sip of his drink, savoring the flavor. "You are correct," he said after a moment. "As the engineers tell me, while the Nova Bomb system can be repaired and replaced if the crystals shatter from overuse, it's a time-consuming job. Fara, your Arwing is currently the only one that is fully operational."

"Which is why we're staying away from the front lines today," said Fox. He quieted, wondering just how much more it was going to cost in time and equipment to make sure that everyone would get through this war alive.

"Exactly," replied the General, interrupting his thoughts. "The engineers and I would rather keep the Arwings here until they are fully repaired, but I do not want to risk any scientific craft in the middle of a war. Especially when we have others fully capable of doing the same job. And we need that data."

The team sat there in silence for a moment and debated on any other questions worth asking. Fox was the first to speak up. "Anything else, sir? We're ready unless you have something more to say."

Pepper shook his head. "Nothing more, Starfox team. I'll let engineering know that you're coming, so you shouldn't have long to wait while they clean up. Be careful out there if you encounter any hostiles on the way."

The vulpine stood up, the rest of his team following. "Noted and understood. Let's go, crew. A nice, easy day in the war for a change."

If only Fox knew what lie ahead of him, his thoughts might have been far different.

* * *

The blackness of space enveloped the Arwings as they left Corneria's atmosphere about fifteen minutes later. The engineers had loaded a probe into the small spare cargo compartment of the craft, ready to open and deploy at the touch of a button. Their mission was a simple one, and while some of them wanted a bit more action, they were at least pleased to get back into the cockpit once more.

The four kept relatively quiet the entire trip, continuing to infuriate Falco to no end, as this confirmed his thoughts that something happened behind his back. He sat there and tried to figure out how to convince the others to explain yesterday's events. But as creative speaking was not one of his strong points, it came out rather poorly. "So, guys, what the heck happened last night that has all of you so uptight? I thought I had my bad days, but you three take the cake."

Everyone stayed quiet, nobody wanting to say anything without Fox giving his permission to proceed beforehand.

"Fine, be that way," grumbled Falco. "See if I give a damn."

The four continued their trip in silence after that, their usual cheerful banter silenced. Fox knew that he had to say something, as the avian had a right to know, but this was neither the time nor place. Instead, he just closed his eyes and tried to block yesterday's events out of his mind as best he could. He ended up doing too good of a job though, falling asleep in his seat a few minutes after.

A loud and off-tone alarm brought him out of his nap with a start some time later. Staring down at the controls in front of him, he groggily found the device in question that was yelling at him, which was the autopilot system, and touched the screen to silence the noise. While the system was designed to have pilots sleep during travel, it had been prompting Fox the last few minutes, letting him know that his journey was almost complete. When he didn't respond in time, the alarm kicked in.

Stretching best he could, shaking his right paw to restore blood flow to it, as he had fallen asleep on it earlier, he looked over what his computer was trying to tell him. Glancing out his cockpit window, he realized that the answer was rather obvious – they were about a minute or two out from reaching their destination.

Even at this distance, the newly formed star was almost blinding, even through the darkened plastics that made up the cockpit windows. The star had an unusual luminescence to it, tinting the space around him a whitish-blue color, instead of throwing out its light like Lylat's sun did. He sat there, wondering what strange phenomenon caused that glow. It was almost beautiful in its oddity.

Fox's computer beeped at him again, telling him that everyone was 30 seconds out from reaching their destination. Wanting to make sure that nobody else had fallen asleep like he did, he decided to get everyone's attention. "Starfox team, this is Fox. Everyone awake in there? We're got about 25 seconds until the autopilot shuts down, so if you're not with us, now's the time to get going."

"Funny," said Fara. She sounded fully awake to his ears.

"I only wish I could sleep in an Arwing," said Peppy quietly. He on other hand sounded like he had just woken up. He kept his comments to himself though, as he didn't want to push the issue.

"We've got such an exciting mission ahead of us," muttered Falco. "How could we possibly sleep at a time like this?"

"At least you're still flying," said Fox. "If Pepper had his way, you'd be grounded from those outbursts of yours earlier.

"We should be fighting, not running around delivering cargo. The hell with what Pepper thinks."

The vulpine sat quietly and listened to his friend's complaints. While he'd rather be in combat as well, some things took priority. "There are still plenty of things to shoot down out there. Just not today. Deal with it."

With a slight rumble, the autopilot finished its trip, the retro-rockets firing to slow the Arwings to a halt. "Okay, team," said Fox, "while it might be nice to sit and watch this star for a while, we do have a mission to do. Let's get to it so we can get back home and have these Arwings repaired for our next encounter."

The pilots said their affirmatives as their mission plan appeared on their computers. Each of the four probes had a specific spot they needed to be deployed at, allowing maximum coverage of the celestial body. They slowly moved towards their goal, flying carefully as it was very difficult to see where they were going owing to the close proximity of the star.

"Which one of us forgot the shades?" joked Falco as he tried to block out as much light as possible with a feathered wing.

"No kidding," commented Fara as she tried to do the same with an arm, with much less success.

Fox continued to advance, amazed that this star could put out so much light. "Chalk it up as something else Pepper forgot."

"Forgetful fool," chided Fara. "If he blinds his star pilots, then what?"

Fortunately for them an easy solution presented itself. It was an unusual idea though. "Just turn around and approach the star backwards," said Peppy as he spun his Arwing around, navigating entirely by his computer.

Fox laughed. "It seems so simple when you put it that way." He did as was suggested though, cutting his engine and spinning around, finding it easier than he thought. Then again, he didn't have to worry about hitting anything in the depths of space either. It was still a strange feeling though, as he was used to flying by sight and in the forward direction, instead of going by his instruments.

By nothing more than pure luck of the draw, Falco's goal was the closest of the four. After making sure he was in the right spot, he pressed the button to open the cargo area, the probe floating out and moving to its exact position automatically. His computer reported on his success a few seconds later. "Probe launched. I'm done here."

"Nice work," said Fox. "I'll be in position shortly."

This gave the avian a few seconds to think to himself as he stared out into space. He figured he might as well see if he could get a few answers out of his leader about the night before. Making sure he was on a private channel, he asked, "Fox, you have a sec?"

Fox was in a bit better of a mood thanks to his nap on the way out. "Yeah. What's up?"

"What happened yesterday?"

His mood quickly soured. "Nothing."

"Don't give me that crap. Something major went down yesterday and nobody's telling me anything."

"Falco, nothing—"

The avian grew tired of being lied to. "Don't you dare lie to me again, Fox. I've known you far too long to be treated like this. It's the least you can do."

Fox sat there quietly, going through the final steps to launch the probe he had with him. With a single button push, the cargo area opened to the vacuum of space. The probe drifted out, its thrusters firing as it slowly moved away. He only wished he could do the same right now. "Fine. I really hate having to tell everybody about my personal life though."

"That's what happens when you're the boss. And when you're forced to live so close together for so long in that damn cave."

He let out a laugh, a good sign that he had accepted what he had to do. "We can all blame that cave for so many of our problems." Fox reminisced over the time spent there for just a moment. "Anyway, remember that mission about six months back? The one that almost got the lot of us killed?"

"Unless you've forgotten, half of our missions fell into that category. But, yeah, I know what one you mean."

"Remember what happened afterward?"

Falco thought back to the day in question. "After we got back home, we all crashed into the nearest seat, and you... Well, you just freaked out for no reason."

Fox rolled his eyes, wondering why he left his teammate out of these kinds of discussions. "Yes, I just freaked out, as you put it."

"So what's the problem then?"

He debated on keeping quiet, but since he had gone this far, Fox figured he might as well finish his story. "It happened again last night."

"That explains everyone's mood then."

"Yeah."

Their discussion was interrupted by Fara's voice coming over the general communication frequencies. "Guys, it's Fara. Mission accomplished."

"Nice work, Fara," said Fox. "Peppy, you almost done? I'm finished as well."

"I'm about 30 seconds from completion," replied the hare.

"Good to hear. Keep me informed."

The com lines went silent again, a silence that Falco quickly filled. "So, Fox, are you gonna be okay?"

The answer was long in coming. "I'll be fine." He grew quiet again for a few seconds before continuing. "Thanks for the concern."

"Yeah, yeah."

As they ended the chat, Peppy came through to tell about his accomplishment. "Peppy here. Probe is in position."

"Good job. I'm contacting Pepper to let him know to turn these things on." He switched frequencies and set up his computer to transmit back home. "General Pepper, this is Fox. Come in please."

He was about to repeat himself, waiting too long even with the usual delay thanks to the distance covered, when he heard a response. "Pepper here. What's your status, Starfox team?"

"Mission accomplished, General. The probes are awaiting your command."

"Roger. I'm transmitting the activation sequence to you right now."

"Understood." Fox watched as the necessary information was sent to his Arwing. He forwarded the codes to his teammates, asking them afterwards, "Everyone got the data?"

"Roger," came their reply.

"Let's do this then." The pilots did as was instructed on their screens, inputting the sequence of codes to fully activate the probes. One by one, they powered up, the devices slowly rotating into position while a multitude of sensing and communication attachments unfolded from what was an almost perfectly smooth sphere. Tidbits of data passed by the Arwing's computers, showing that their programs were running as planned. "Everything looks good from here," said Fox. "How is it on your end?"

"Looks like this thing is working," said Falco. "Don't ask me what this crap is on my screen though."

"Mass, gravity, and chemical computations if I had to make a guess," said Peppy as he looked over the information. "The probe is working fine on my end."

"Everything's okay here," said Fara, only looking at the data for a moment before continuing her look into the stars around her, her view hampered by the white haze that emanated into the area. She thought she saw something a bit ago and was trying to find it again.

"Good to hear, crew. Yet another mission accomplished."

"One without a single shot fired," complained Falco. "How boring."

Fox laughed. "We know your need for wanton destruction. Let's get home so you can take your aggressions out on the simulator. I'll tell Pepper we're—"

Fara interrupted him as she spotted what she saw earlier. "Guys, there's something out here. Something that looks pretty big."

That statement sent a shock through the pilots as they checked their sensor readings, looking towards the nearby stars and trying to find what she saw. Fox was the first to report his findings. "I don't see anything on sensors, Fara." The other pilots were quick to agree with him.

She giggled. "Well for starters, silly, you're on the wrong side of this star. Also, this thing is messing with the sensor's range, among other things."

"Could it just be debris?" asked Peppy as he peered out into space.

"No. It's simply too big to be a chunk of the Negator, or anything else we blew up yesterday." Fara paused, reaching for her throttle control. "I'm going to check it out."

"Request denied," said Fox with an authoritative tone, guessing that she would look on her own given half a chance.

"But—"

"No, Fara. I'm going to tell the General that our mission is done here, and then the four of us are going to look in on this."

"Safety in numbers," said Peppy, searching for another proverb, but for once not finding one suitable to the situation.

Falco was the only one pleased to hear this, ready for some action. "Good, something to blow up."

Fox shook his head. "I hope not. Remember that we have only one Nova Bomb capable Arwing if things turn sour."

"Always looking for the bad side of things. We're more than capable pilots."

Fox sighed as he wondered if he could ever make the avian understand his concern he had over his pilots and his friends. Or would it take the death of someone on the team to make him see his way? "We'll see." He changed settings once more. "Pepper, this is Fox again. The probes seem to be operational, and they should be transmitting."

There was another long delay thanks to the distance between the two of them, especially since he had to make sure that the probes were working as planned. "You are correct. The probes are sending their data as designed. Nice work, Starfox team. I'll expect you back here shortly then."

"Actually, General, Fara's spotted some kind of ship in the area. We're going to investigate before we return home."

"Understood. Be careful. You're not fully armed right now."

He was almost shocked to hear his concern, especially after the mission they went through yesterday. "Don't worry, sir, we know. We'll be fine."

"We'll await your arrival then when you get done. Pepper out."

Fox took one last look around before moving away from the nearby probe, making sure he was clear before kicking in his boosters. "Okay, crew, assemble over by Fara. Time to go find out what's out there."

A minute later, they were off, heading out to see what lie before them.

* * *

Early in the war, Andross had need of an ever-increasing supply of power and supplies. Since Venom wasn't capable of either at the time, he had to look at external sources for those goods.

It was simply named the Gatherer.

It was a rather large, fully automated design of his, a mishmash of some of his battleship designs, made to gather resources and little else. Its goal was simple – using the oversized drill bit and multiple mining lasers on the front, in conjunction with the tractor beam installed, it was designed to gather minerals at the asteroid belts scattered in the system. It also had three movable devices attached to its hull designed to gather energy from any source to recharge its own batteries and to deliver the excess power back to Andross.

It was never designed for combat, however. Instead, it had arrived at this newly formed star to gather what power and materials it could before it headed home again.

The Arwings would do just fine in a pinch, though.


	31. The Gatherer

The battle continues for the Starfox team. However, what little good luck they've had so far starts to go down the tubes. How does it happen? You'll have to read to find out.

* * *

**Chapter 31: The Gatherer**

_Well, Falco got his wish. We have what looks to be a fight on our hands. I hope that nothing will be complicated in this one though, as I don't like going into battle without the Nova Bombs working on all craft. They've saved my ass before, and they'll do the same again if I had to make a guess. –_ Fox

"Do you see it?" asked Fara a short time later.

"I do," replied Fox as he stared at the rapidly approaching object. "What is that thing?"

"Sensors still aren't picking up our target," said Peppy as he tried his hardest to gather any information. "Too much interference from that star, even from this distance."

"Then we just blow it up blindly," interjected Falco. "Nothing can stand up to our combined might as it is."

Fox sighed, worried about this situation. He hated going into battle with absolutely no information, and something in general seemed wrong about this whole situation. But they couldn't leave whatever this was just flying around the system. "Keep trying, Peppy. Everyone else, be careful. I don't like this one bit."

"You worry too much," said the avian.

"Shut up, Falco."

The four continued their approach, details becoming apparent on the strange craft as they neared. It was a spherical shaped object with three wings – one up top, and a pair to either side and below. Each wing had some kind of long, flexible tube trailing behind it, somehow pointing towards the single large engine behind it. An oversized mining drill was attached to the flattened front, giving their target a very menacing look.

"What the hell is supposed to be?" asked Fara. "Or do?"

"I have no idea," replied Fox. "But whatever it is, it knows we're here."

His statement was correct as the hostile craft shut off its main engine, retro-rockets firing to slow it to a halt quickly. It turned to face the pilots, the drill pointing directly towards them. But in a move that surprised the four, it didn't pass along any menacing messages.

"Awfully quiet for one of Andross' cronies," remarked Falco as he noticed this. "No fancy name for this thing?"

"Tell me about it," said Fox, now getting worried. As he neared, he began to notice possible targets that would be worth taking down first. He decided to get this fight over with quickly so they could return home. "Crew, I'm highlighting your first target – that drill thing that's sitting at what looks to be the front. Stay in formation and attack as soon as you get into range."

The team replied with their affirmatives as they advanced, lining themselves up for an easy attack run. Due to a lack of information however, what happened next came as a bit of shock to the pilots.

The three tubes somehow moved away from the engine, twisting around to point towards the pilots. The group ignored them as they got within firing range, their blasters brightening up the already lit space around them. Their shots struck the shield protecting the craft, doing little visible damage. The tubes continued to follow the Arwings as they passed, but didn't make any threatening moves.

"That was easy," said Falco as he followed Fox around for a second pass.

"Too easy," commented Fara. "What are those tube like devices sticking out of the ship?"

"No idea," Peppy replied, checking out the information provided as he followed. "Sensors are still providing very little data on that craft due to the proximity of the star."

"Just be careful," said Fox. "Let's make another run."

* * *

The Gatherer's programming was at a loss at what to do against its current threat. It had never registered any hostile craft capable of moving at such a great speed, nor with such offensive weaponry. It wasn't properly armed for combat, but it had multiple ways of defending itself. It decided that now was the time to use some of them, before it lost what shielding it had protecting the vital areas.

As the Arwings approached for a second pass, it fired up its primary defensive mechanism – a pair of forward mounted tractor beam emitters, mainly used to capture asteroids and other smaller objects for the mining drill to break down for transport. The four craft shuddered slightly as the beam attempted to grab all of them, but they were simply moving too quickly to have any effect. Detecting this, the Gatherer narrowed the beams, concentrating on a single Arwing.

By pure luck, or lack thereof, it happened to pick Fara's craft.

She was thrown hard against her restraints as her advance was halted far too quickly for the G-Diffuser system to compensate. Trying to maintain consciousness from the shock, her retro-rockets flared as she attempted to escape. At the same time, the mining drill began to spin, its next move very clear. "Somebody help me!" she yelled, her fear of being trapped and unable to do anything about it threatening her self-control. "I can't break free!"

Fox quickly took charge as he tried to get the situation back under control. "You are free to engage!" he ordered. "Get that thing's attention, but avoid the front! Peppy?"

"I know," replied the hare, desperately trying to gather information while maintaining an aggressive profile. This was not what he was good at, but he was the best out of the four currently there. "It's going to take time."

"Time is one thing that Fara does not have!"

The three still mobile pilots separated and sped away from each other, picking a different time to turn and attack their target. Each hoped that they could draw attention away from their trapped companion. However, the Gatherer had other ways of defending itself.

As the Arwings fired, the three metallic tubes, which until now had been only curiously following the craft, pointed directly towards the incoming blaster fire. The pilots, fearing an unknown reprisal, quickly broke away from their target, watching carefully to what happened afterward.

In the diffused lighting being thrown from the star behind them, a red beam could be seen emanating from the tubes, passing over the blaster fire. When it struck, the Arwing's firepower simply vanished, the energy of the shot absorbed into the storage batteries on the Gatherer.

"What the hell just happened?" asked a perplexed Falco.

"It looks like," started Peppy, pausing as he moved into position for another attack run, "the shots were just absorbed somehow, drained of their power."

"Keep attacking, guys," said Fox. "Make sure they don't decide to focus on Fara, as they'll suck her Arwing dry given the chance."

"No shit," said the vixen, calmed down somewhat, knowing that the team was doing their best to free her. Her retro-rockets continued to burn, halting her advance towards the spinning drill for the time being. Try as she might though, she was unable to break free, nor gain any distance from her captor. Out of desperation she fired her blasters, surprised to see them strike a shield instead of them being drained into some other system on the craft. "My shots are still getting through."

"Want to try a Nova Bomb?" suggested Fox.

"I'm just outside of the blast range, but any resulting debris could easily be the end of me."

"A last resort then." Fox dove towards his target as he talked, firing his blasters in an attempt to get past the defenses. Unfortunately, he was just as successful as he was the first time. "Damn it! I can't get past these things. I need options, people, and I need them now."

Falco moved parallel along the craft and sped by, killing his engines, strafing the entire length of his target. Every shot was countered despite his best efforts, frustrating him to no end. "Blasted piece of shit is stopping everything I throw at it!"

"I have an idea," said Peppy as he continued to look over the data, firing shots at the Gatherer just to keep its defenses busy. "Not a good one though. We could all—"

He was cut off as Fara suddenly came on over the com. "Guys, something's happening up here." She watched as the drill slowed down and came to a halt. It only paused there a moment before it split into three separate sections, moving apart from each other, and locked into place after a few seconds. Sitting there in her seat, she worried what was going to happen next, and if her Arwing would be able to take the punishment. "I don't like the looks of this."

Fara's worry was well placed, because if the hostile craft had emotions, it would have been furious. As it was, the rudimentary AI was confused as to why it hadn't eliminated the threat in front of it yet, as it had never encountered a hostile that could defeat the strength of its tractor beams before. While its defenses kept the others at bay, it assumed it was only a matter of time before they found a way around them. It decided to eliminate the one it had captured and then turn its attention to the others.

Powering down the drill, it brought its other weapons online – a multitude of mining lasers. While individually they wouldn't do much damage, against a craft that couldn't escape or dodge, it would be deadly. Reconfirming the targeting info, making sure that every available gun behind the drill was operational, it opened fire on the immobile craft, intending to kill.

Fara's mouth dropped open with shock as she watched the laser fire erupt out of the hole where the drill used to be, all of it headed directly towards her craft. Desperately she redoubled her efforts to get free, twisting her Arwing in an attempt to dodge some of the assault. Shot after shot impacted against her shields despite her best attempts however, alarms quickly blaring as her shield level plummeted. There was just simply too much firepower to dodge with her extremely limited mobility.

Fox watched as the Arwing struggled to free itself, laser fire pounding against the shields like a waterfall to the rocks below. He debated on throwing himself in front of the attack, but that would only put him into danger instead of Fara and leave them with still no idea how to defeat this thing. As it was, he didn't even know if it would free the other craft.

As quickly as it started, the lasers from the Gatherer abruptly stopped, the drill closing back up once more. Unbeknownst to the pilots, the mining lasers had overloaded from use, the weapons never designed to fire like that over an extended period. The AI switched back to defensive mode, knowing that it was exposed with the drill out of the way. It knew it had time to wait while the weapons cooled down however – the captured craft wasn't going anywhere.

"Are you okay, Fara?" asked Fox worriedly.

"No!" she replied tersely as she fought to maintain control of her emotions. She was on the verge of falling into a complete panic, knowing that she couldn't escape, knowing that her death could easily be a slow, agonizing one if her silent captor decided to play around with her craft, its weak lasers striking the more vulnerable places before dealing a deadly blow. "Shields at 20 and charging. They won't last through another assault."

Fox noticed the fear in her voice, one filled with worry and desperation. He tried his best to calm her down, knowing that any hesitation due to her unsettled state could get her killed. "Don't worry, Fara, we're going to get you out of this alive. I promise."

She took a deep breath, knowing somehow that he was telling the truth. It's not like she had any other options other than to trust him. "Okay. What are your orders?"

He quickly thought of a plan of attack, as she needed to keep her mind occupied, something to focus her energies away from the situation at hand. "Since you can get through the defenses to the shields directly, just keep firing. If we can get them down, you'll have direct access to the tractor beam emitters."

Peppy interrupted the pair. "Fox, incoming tube from above."

Twisting in his seat, he spotted the metal tube that he had been keeping occupied, now moving up front to go after Fara. "I see it." As he turned to attack, he said one last thing. "Fara, tell me the moment that drill opens up again. Until then, keep it busy with your blasters."

"Okay."

Fox fired upon his target, speeding off and continuing to fire to keep its attention off his trapped teammate. Knocking the vixen out of his communications, he ordered, "Guys, I need options, now!"

Falco kept quiet as Peppy suggested a plan of attack, passing along his idea on the monitor. "It looks like these tubes can only target a single location at the same time, so if two pilots attack simultaneously—"

"I get your drift." Fox selected his goals on the screen as he continued. "Falco, these two are yours."

"Yes, boss."

"Peppy, let's get to work. Have you found a weakness on this thing yet though?"

The hare sighed. He didn't like being relied on for something that wasn't his area of expertise. "No."

"It'll come to us later then. When these shields come down and Fara's free, then we can worry about killing this thing off."

"We have a bit of time as I think it's overloaded those lasers it had."

"Good. Time is the one thing we need a lot more of."

* * *

Armed with a plan of attack, the mobile Arwings went to work. As Falco kept two of the three tubes busy by speeding back and forth between them, Fox and Peppy began to make a dent in the shields of the hostile. The Gatherer was only capable of defending against one attack at a time on each side, and its programming wasn't good enough to detect that it was being tricked.

The shields were surprisingly strong though, as nobody expected such a strange looking craft to be well defended. Andross had built it well, as it was designed to sit inside asteroid belts and near smaller stars to gather supplies. On top of that, only two of the Arwings were even hitting the shields, so this fight was a lengthy one.

One that was taking far too long.

"The drill is opening again!" yelled Fara suddenly.

Fox cursed as he spun around, firing his boosters in an attempt to get there in time to interfere with what was going to happen. He had one last hope though. "Peppy?" he asked privately. "Any ideas?"

"I'm sorry, Fox," replied the hare. "I haven't found the weakness of this thing."

Speeding off towards Fara, Fox knew what he had to do – he just had no other options. He just hoped that he could get there in time. "I'm coming, Fara. Just hold on."

Staying put was the last thing she wanted to do. She saw Fox approaching, but judging by the lack of a plan from the other pilots, he was coming to do only one thing – get in the way. Not wanting to see that happen, that left her with only two options. The first was to fire off a Nova Bomb way too close for comfort, hoping that she would survive any resulting debris.

She never got to clearly thinking about her second option before the mining lasers fired again. Her shields began to plummet once more as they struck home. Glancing at where Fox was right now, it quickly became clear that he wouldn't arrive in time before her shields failed. Without wasting any more time, she chose her second option.

She charged straight towards the attacking vessel.

"What are you doing?" asked an astonished Fox. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You're going to be killed!"

Her response was swift, as she had almost reached the Gatherer, her shields at critical levels from the continued pounding. "Watch."

Knowing that she could generate far more thrust via the main engine instead of just the retro-rockets, she hurtled forward, quickly gaining momentum. Her hope was that she could gain enough speed to simply break free of the tractor beams. Failing that, she held a finger over the launch button for her Nova Bombs. Her aggressor wouldn't capture another Arwing, even if it cost her life to do so.

Her shields moments from collapse, she reached what was the point of no return. Hoping that her plan would succeed, she yanked her flight stick hard to one side, her craft vibrating as it fought against the vice-like grip of the tractor beams. "Come on," said Fara quietly. She could feel the Arwing beginning to break free, as she had simply built up too much speed to be stopped. As it was, she had stumped the limited programming of the AI she was facing with her actions, and it didn't react properly to her plan.

"Yes!" she yelled as she shot away from the tractor beam's grasp, maneuvering past a wing before pulling away from the hostile to her freedom. "I'm firing a Nova Bomb at this damned thing as soon as—"

She never got a chance to finish her sentence as the Gatherer had other plans.

While the AI was momentarily confused at Fara's plan of escape, it recovered quickly enough to take further actions against the pilot. The three tubes pivoted in different directions, releasing their stored energy as something that looked like thruster exhaust. That, combined with the standard maneuvering thrusters it had installed, caused it to spin around rapidly, reacquiring its prior target within moments.

It locked onto her Arwing with the tractor beams once more, slowing down the craft greatly, but unable to bring it to a complete halt. Fara blacked out in the process, her body unable to take the physical strain a second time in as many minutes. The Gatherer targeted her still flaring engine with its mining lasers, intending to make sure that the craft never attempted escape again.

The lasers spewed out once more, striking with pinpoint accuracy against the engine. Her weakened shields collapsed within seconds, giving the hostile plenty of time to do its damage before the other Arwings could interfere. The engine sparked and shut down after a few well placed hits, the mining lasers too weak to cause the catastrophic chain reaction that would normally happen if the highly volatile thruster had taken a powerful hit in the wrong area.

It quickly retargeted, redirecting its weapons to bear at one of the boosters as it continued to fire. By this time, Fara was jolted into consciousness again, desperately trying to do anything in her power to keep herself alive. Sirens blared inside her craft, warning her that she was seconds from probable destruction. The eject lights flashed furiously for attention, telling her to escape while she still could.

Being caught inside of a tractor beam however, kept her from exploring that avenue of escape.

Laser fire raked the underside of her craft, sparks shooting into space as the armor gave way, internal systems becoming compromised from the damage. Fox finally arrived at this point, passing in front of the line of fire to become a better target, after yelling for help privately from his companions. To his surprise, the Gatherer stopped firing just long enough to let the other Arwing pass by without damage, refusing to take the bait. As soon as he cleared the firing resumed, the left wing booster exploding into a small fireball a few seconds after.

At that moment, the lasers stopped as quickly as they started, the weapon system once again overloaded from continuous use. As before, the Gatherer closed up, the drill beginning to spin as the Arwing drifted towards the hostile. The AI knew that its target no longer had any chance of escaping, so it ignored it for the time being, concentrating on the other threats.

Left with not enough thrust to maintain her distance from her current direction, Fara spun around, facing the menacing drill head on as her retro-rockets flared. Due to the damage she had sustained, she was losing ground. Desperately searching for options while she hoped the others were formulating a plan, she brought up her computer, trying to reroute power away from her damaged systems, attempting to at least hold her position in space. She glanced at the covered button for the Nova Bombs as she worked, debating on risking it all.

Fox's voice came over the line, interrupting her thoughts with his worried concern. "Fara, how's everything holding up in there?"

"What do you think!" she yelled in response, continuing her work while she chewed his head off. "I'm about to say the hell with it and drop a Nova Bomb while I'm well within range of the blast, as nobody else has thought of a better idea, and you're asking if I'm okay?"

The vulpine was left speechless by that remark, not having any idea how to respond. Fortunately for both of them, Peppy had a bit of good news. "You'll be pleased to know then that I've found a far more effective way of destroying this thing than simply firing blindly."

"About damn time," said Fara, calming down slightly as she looked over her systems, making sure she wouldn't blow a power junction when she rerouted power. "Tell me what to do, and hurry."

"How close are you to that thing?" asked Peppy.

"Just over 800 feet and falling. The retros aren't working right thanks to the damage I've taken, but I should be able to reroute power to them in just a second." Three button presses later, she transferred power away from her non-functional systems and provided a boost to the retro-rockets. The panel she was working on with her left paw didn't like the adjustments, the device shorting out in a shower of sparks. She grimaced as she jerked her paw away, hoping that the scorch marks now visible on her glove were only that and didn't go deeper. Much to her relief, her modifications seemed to work as the Arwing slowed to a halt.

"Not good. Are your shields working?"

Fara looked over the respective indicator, reporting the status. "Shields are at 5 and trying to charge. Why?"

Fox continued to stay quiet, not having been told the plan yet. Instead, he just fired at the hostile, keeping himself occupied as he had nothing better to do while Peppy went over his explanation. "How effective are the shields at absorbing a Nova Bomb blast?"

She quickly went through what she knew. "At full power, they are designed to resist the destructive power of the weapon, doing little damage short of some tossing of the occupant. At this level though…" She quieted, not liking what she had to say. "They are completely untested as nobody wanted to risk a pilot or a ship. For that matter, they haven't been tested against an Arwing much at all."

Peppy kept quiet over the lack of testing, knowing that nothing could be done about it at this exact moment. He transmitted some data as he continued. "Well, here's the weak point. Fire a Nova Bomb exactly where those lasers come from, as it seems like the shields there either become extremely weak or fail completely when that craft fires."

"I don't like that plan at all, Peppy," said Fox as he came back into the conversation.

"You don't like that plan?" exclaimed Fara before the hare could respond. "I'm the one who's going to be inside the blast radius when it goes off. Don't you have any better ideas?"

"I'm sorry, Fara, I don't." From the limited data he could gather, this seemed like the best, and only, answer. Peppy hoped it was the right one though. If his plan ended in her demise…

"That's just great." She sighed, resigning herself to what she had to do. "Don't get me wrong, you've done your best. I just don't like the solution."

"We'll be here for you," said Fox as he flew past, trying one last time to get the Gatherer's attention as he fired wildly at the hostile craft. Like before, it didn't work. "Remember that. No matter what happens, we won't lose you."

"Thanks. I'll hold you to that by the way." Glancing forward, Fara noticed that the drill was slowing down once more. She knew what that meant. "This thing is opening up again."

Taking command once more, Fox pulled away, his boosters firing as he got clear. "Starfox team, time to go. This thing's about to blow." As the two other Arwings moved to follow, he added privately, "Good luck, Fara."

She sat there, smiling weakly at the attention. Thinking about her position, she felt like she was in front of an old-fashioned firing squad, like in the movies of old, staring death directly in the face. She was standing there, unable to move, a tall wooden post holding her upright and facing her executors. Unlike most in that situation though, she had a weapon hidden in one paw. The only problem was that it might kill her to use it. If she didn't though, she faced a most certain death. This only gave her a chance. 

The drill powered down and split open like it had done before. Making sure she was lined up, she flipped off the safety to the Nova Bombs. After pausing long enough to make a quick wish to whoever might be watching over her, she pressed the button. 

After the usual short pause, the ball of energy streaked out of the launcher, hurtling towards the expanding gap between the sections of the drill. It passed through silently, the ball illuminating the half-dozen mining lasers that lay within for just a moment before detonating upon them. 

She had only a second to think about what she had done before the resulting blast engulfed her in its blinding aura.


	32. One Pilot Down?

So, what happened to Fara? You'll have to read on to find out.

* * *

**Chapter 32: One Pilot Down?**

_This whole thing is my fault. I shouldn't have ordered my friends to attack this unidentified hostile. Who knew this was such a dangerous craft? Please, Fara, live through this one. You just have to. – _Fox

A short distance away, Fox spun his Arwing around to watch the explosion. His eyes were concentrated on Fara however, as he did not want to lose track of her. In doing so, he missed a rather impressive light show.

Unlike the prior uses of the Nova Bombs where they had struck the exterior of the craft in question, allowing the blast to envelop the hostile, this one was detonated internally, almost in the middle of the craft. As the blast quickly expanded outward, the stored energy violently detonated as well, sending chunks of the Gatherer shooting outwards at high velocity. While the mobile Arwings were more than far enough away to easily avoid anything incoming, the trapped craft was anything but.

Despite his best efforts, Fara vanished inside the bright flash of the Nova Bomb. As the effect subsided, nothing could be seen but hundreds of shards of debris hurtling in every direction. He scanned the area, his efforts made easier by the star that glowed from behind him. Try as he might though, he couldn't figure out where she had vanished. A short warning tone broke the silence as he stared into space, telling him that his computer had lost the signal coming from the transponder installed in her Arwing.

They all knew what that meant.

His teammates stayed quiet as he said to the space around him, "Fara, this is Fox. Report your status."

Silence.

He grew increasingly worried as the seconds passed. "Fara, please respond."

Still nothing but silence.

"Fara…please…"

Despite his desperate pleads for an answer, nothing was heard back.

Fox continued to look from a distance as he blinked back tears, hoping to catch a glimpse of his missing teammate. While he refused to give up, the others knew that there was a definite possibility that she wasn't going to respond. "Fox," said Peppy quietly, startling the pilot for just a moment, "the odds are—"

"No," refuted the vulpine. "We are not giving up that easily. We will find her." He fired up his engines and moved towards the debris field. "Come on."

Falco finally spoke up for the first time in as many minutes, not pleased with the task forming in front of him, even though it was to find their lost teammate. "Hey, bud, what if we don't—"

Fox stopped him before he could finish his line of thought. "Find. Her. Now. Understood?"

"Yes, boss."

The search was slow going. While the artificial boost in light helped search the area, the nearby star greatly interfered with sensors. It was taking far too long as far as Fox was concerned, as he was quickly growing more and more worried over Fara's fate, not knowing if he would ever see her again.

So to say that he was relieved when he heard Peppy's voice a few minutes later was an understatement. "Fox, Peppy here. I've found the missing Arwing."

"Thank the gods. How's Fara?"

The hare's response was slow in coming, static filling the communication in the meantime. "You really should take a look yourself."

Fox didn't like that answer in the slightest. "Peppy, that doesn't answer my question. What's wrong?"

"Just come over here." Peppy paused as he debated to say what he knew, finally choosing to do so as it would be better to hear about it first. "To put it simply – I don't see Fara anywhere in her craft."

That answer left Fox rather perplexed. Unable to think of a response, he pointed his craft in the general direction of his teammate, his computer having a difficult time locating him, and kicked in his boosters. He dodged around some debris in his way as he said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but there isn't exactly anywhere to go out here."

"My point exactly."

"I'm on my way. Keep your com channel open, as the sensors are having a hard time tracking you down. Falco, come over here as well." He got affirmatives from both pilots within seconds, leaving Fox to sit quietly in his Arwing and wondering what happened to Fara.

His wait wasn't long, as he came across the two craft a minute later. He was not prepared for what he saw, however.

Sitting there, floating dead in space, was the crippled Arwing. A few larger chunks of the Gatherer drifted nearby, part of the reason as to why it had taken so long to locate the missing craft.

The other reason was the extensive damage it had taken in the final seconds of battle. Looking like it had spent time near the sun instead of the frozen blackness of space that surrounded them, the nosecone had turned to slag and looked nothing like the silver sleekness it once was. Instead it lay twisted and charred, any components installed underneath obviously ruined. The wingtips had melted as well, now a complete hindrance to atmospheric flight instead of being useful. Scorch marks abounded across the rest of the hull, although the armor plating looked like it held together after the shields failed.

Fox gasped as he looked upon the damage, fearful for the pilot that should be inside. But as Peppy said earlier, Fara was simply not visible through the cockpit window. As he approached, swerving out of the way of a piece of debris that decided to occupy his flight path, he asked, "Peppy, did you make a close pass and look inside?"

"Sorry, no." Pausing, the hare turned in place, targeting the debris that Fox had passed. With a quick spread of shots, the junk dissolved into something far less of a threat. "As you can see, I've been a bit busy."

"Point taken." Flipping upside down, Fox fired his retro rockets and lined himself up to come to a stop right above the powered down Arwing. "If you'll provide me some cover then, I'll go take a look."

"Understood."

Ignoring the feeling of dread that was quickly building as he stared at the seemingly dead craft, Fox tried one last time to contact the occupant. "Fara, this is Fox. If you can hear me, I'm right above your Arwing. I just need a sign that you're there."

Just like in his prior attempts however, he got nothing but silence in response.

With no fanfare, the vulpine found himself directly above the other Arwing. A larger chunk of the Gatherer spun in place slowly nearby, blocking out most of the light emanated by the star nearby, making it difficult to see inside the craft. What he saw didn't please him in the slightest, as not only the usual lights and switches that were normally lit were anything but, but he couldn't see the expected occupant at all. As he looked closer, he thought he saw a brief shine of light from inside. Not sure what it was, he asked his teammate, "Peppy, is there a flashlight in our emergency kit?"

"I think…" He paused and fired at another piece of debris. It exploded after a few hits, the remaining pieces too small to cause any kind of damage to the Arwings. He remembered his little incident a few days earlier as he continued. "Yes, there is one. What do you see in there?"

"I'm not sure yet." Unstrapping himself from his seat for a moment, Fox reached around and unhooked the duffle bag sitting right behind his seat. He dug through it, making sure that he didn't lose anything, as he didn't want loose objects floating around during travel. Finding what he was looking for, he gave the flashlight a quick test to make sure it worked and then replaced the bag, buckling himself back in. Looking into the other Arwing, he was about to shine his light inside when he saw another flash of light from the interior. That definitely got his hopes up. "I think Fara might be in there."

"But where…" Left momentarily confused by the rather positive statement, it took Peppy a moment to say something else that brought a serious chance at seeing their fellow pilot alive again. "You know, now that I think about it, there is quite a bit of room underneath the monitor and computer in front of you. It's so you can attempt repairs and such during travel. Fara just might be able to fit completely under there."

Not wasting any additional time, Fox shone his light into the cockpit. What he saw stunned him, as his first glance earlier was anything but correct. The side panels, the ones allowing easy access to the main controls, weren't off like he thought before, but instead looked like they had shorted out or exploded on the unfortunate pilot. Panning the light around, he saw that the main monitor seemed to be intact, but if it worked or not was another question entirely. Underneath that looked to be something that made his heart skip a beat – Fara's boots, trailing underneath the monitor. "I see her!" he exclaimed happily.

"Thank goodness," said Peppy as he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that his earlier decision had been the incorrect one, killing off their teammate and friend. "How is she?"

"I can't tell yet, as she's underneath the monitor like you said. Looks like she's working on something." Attempting to get her attention, Fox waved his flashlight back and forth and tried to shine the light into an area she could see from whatever position she was in.

"At least she's still alive," said Falco, his communication littered with static thanks to the distance between them. It started to clear up as he approached. "If that nameless piece of crap had taken her out like that, I would've been pissed."

"You and me both, Falco, you and me both." As it was, Fox had no idea what he would have done if he had lost Fara. He pushed the depressing thought out of his mind as he continued to try to get her attention. He turned on and off the light in a repeating pattern and held the beam in one place.

To the vulpine's amazement, the boots vanished out of view, only to be replaced by the head and shoulders of Fara. Her dismayed expression turned to one of pure joy as she recognized the nearby Arwing and its pilot. As she climbed fully into view however, grabbing onto the seat straps so she wouldn't float around, Fox had to suppress a gasp at her condition.

The shorted out control consoles told a story as to what happened when the Nova Bomb exploded right in front of her, and after taking one glance at her condition, that story became obvious. Scorch marks could be clearly seen at this distance up and down her arms and chest, leaving her shirt and jacket a tattered mess. It left Fox wondering just how badly she was injured and how deep the burns went. There was only one way to find out. "Fara, are you okay in there?"

The vixen shook her head as she watched Fox talk, pointing at her computer and then her helmet, saying something on her end that couldn't be heard in response. He had a guess at what he needed to do, but he had to make a few adjustments to do so. "Peppy, Fara's com system, as well as the rest of her craft I'm guessing, is offline, but I think she's trying to tell me that she can contact me via her headset on her helmet. So if you don't hear anything from me—"

"Don't worry about it," interrupted Peppy. He knew what Fox was getting at. "Falco, whenever he arrives, and I will keep you covered."

"Thanks." Changing a setting on a panel nearby, so he could at least hear any external conversations, he pulled off his helmet and modified the frequency settings before replacing it. He looked up at Fara again and asked, "Can you hear me now?" She shook her head a few seconds later, pointing at her helmet again.

Trying another setting, he asked again. This time he had a bit more success.

Fara's eyes closed as she breathed a sigh of relief, just pleased to hear Fox's voice once more. With her Arwing disabled, all he had heard in the last few minutes was her attempts to repair her craft, and she absolutely hated the silence. "I hear you, Fox. Am I getting through I hope?"

Fox was delighted to hear her voice as well, thankful that she was still alive. In how good of a condition was another matter entirely. "You're coming through loud and clear."

"Thank goodness. At least something's working in here." With communications reestablished, she spun around, wincing in pain as she did so, and went underneath the monitor again. "Now to see if I can get this thing working again."

He watched for a moment as she disappeared once more. "How are you, Fara?" asked Fox, concerned over her well-being. "How's the Arwing?"

"The Arwing's pretty much trashed unfortunately," said Fara with dismay, "but I think it can be repaired. I just need—" 

Suddenly Fox heard the sound of an electrical short over his headset, followed by Fara yelping in pain. "Fara?" he asked nervously, knowing that there was very little he could do if something happened to her. "Are you okay?"

It took a few seconds before he heard any sort of a response, a few seconds that felt far longer. "Ow," she finally groaned, her words slurred as she tried her best to ignore the pain. "I'm not okay." She groaned again and crawled back out. "That's gonna leave a mark."

Fox watched as she came into view once more, this time with a new injury on her right shoulder, one that she was covering with her left paw. When she moved it away to strap herself into her seat, he got a much clearer view of the damage – it looked like whatever repair attempt she was last working on had gone awry, sparks shooting against her unprotected self, burning through her clothing and into her fur. She looked like a disheveled mess, her light brown fur now pocketed with darker burned areas, but he tried his best to ignore it as he asked, "Any luck, Fara?"

"Only one way to find out. Damn computer shorted out not too long after I got into position here with what little power I still had, so I hope this works." Closing her eyes, and covering them with one arm for safety, she reached over and inputted the sequence to start her craft. To her surprise, it restarted exactly like it should, the rest of her craft powering up shortly thereafter. She smiled as she uncovered her eyes, feeling the cool air swirl around her from the life-support systems. "About time I got this thing up and running again."

"How's the Arwing then?" asked Fox as he looked at his own readouts. "Your transponder still isn't operational it seems, that much I can tell."

"One second." While she knew that it was highly doubtful she'd be able to get home under her own power, she was curious as to how much damage she had sustained. Running the diagnostic program, she grimaced as she saw that there were more damaged or destroyed systems than there were working ones. "The easiest way to put it is for me to tell you what's still working."

"Ouch."

"Yeah." She looked through the data, her eyes opening wide when she came to one set of yellow and red lights. She ignored it and chalked it up as a glitch, as there was no way that system could be down. It was too well protected. "Oddly enough, I'm still combat capable for the most part. The nose blaster is still working, as are the shields and the G-Diffuser system. The radar's trashed though, so I couldn't see to shoot."

Fox rolled his eyes, wondering what the odds were of that happening again. "You just can't maneuver though."

She snickered. "One booster and the retro-rockets aren't going to get me very far. And communications are down. Although…" She stopped suddenly, her display alerting her to multiple critical problems that it had detected as it continued with the diagnostic. "Oh no," she said quietly, realizing that the earlier warning was true.

Any happiness he had in finding Fara still alive was drained away by those two words. "What's wrong?" he asked fearfully.

"By the Creator, no…"

He was more insistent this time as he tried to get an answer. "Fara, what's wrong?"

It took her a moment to respond, but when she finally did, it invoked a paralyzing level of dread in the vulpine. "The problem is twofold – the system has detected that the hull of the escape pod has been damaged, so I couldn't eject if I wanted to right now." She paused, stunned at what she was about to say – her own death warrant. "Also…the life-support system has been critically damaged in the explosion. I…I'm living on borrowed time right now."

Without life-support, she was going to die very shortly in the cold, dark void of space.

The realization that Fox was going to lose his fellow teammate shocked him back into action. Wasting no time, he switched his communications back to the waiting Arwings. "New orders – just do them, don't ask why. Falco, contact the General. See if there is any kind of transport craft or anything in the area that can pick up Fara's Arwing. And get Slippy on the line as well."

Falco knew that this sudden order from his commander, especially sent this way, was a bad sign. He did as he was told though without a second thought. "Yes, boss."

"Peppy, find me the closest planet or station – I don't care if it's hostile or not, I just need somewhere to land."

The hare had a good idea from those two requests what had happened with the crippled Arwing, but based on Fox's order, he wasn't going to pry. "I'll get you the answer shortly."

Switching back to Fara's frequency via his headset, he heard her quietly say to herself, "It's true… I'm really going to suffocate out here."

"No you're not," interrupted Fox. He was not going to let her die. Not like this. "Now listen to me, that's an order. Is there a way to attach the Arwings together somehow, allowing me to provide the power to get both of us home?"

Her mind was still a jumbled mess, unable to comprehend that she was staring death in the face. She expected her last moments to be sudden, not drawn out like this. "I...I have no idea."

"Don't lie to me, Fara," berated Fox as he tried to snap her back into action. He needed every advantage he could get right now, and thanks to her experience she had most of them. "You've been around the Arwings far longer than the rest of us. If there's an answer, you know it. Please, for your own sake, think."

His plan worked, at least for the moment, her mind jumpstarting into action. "There might be," she said as she thought the possibilities. "Give me a minute."

"Don't think too long. I'm willing to try whatever ideas pop into your head though." His other two teammates tried to contact him at this point, letting him know of their answers. "I'll get right back to you, Fara. The guys need me for something. Don't go anywhere."

She chuckled at the joke, as bad as it was. "Funny."

Now knowing the exact combination on his helmet to change frequencies, he no longer needed to take it off to make the modification. "Peppy, you first. What did you find out?"

The hare sounded concerned as he came on. "No good answers. Corneria is still the closest planet in the area, about 45 minutes away after factoring in the FTL drive. There's nothing out here that can be used as a hospitable landing zone that's closer. What's wrong, Fox?"

He had no reason to delay the answer any longer. "Fara's life-support system took a hit during the explosion and is currently inoperable."

Peppy's eyes opened wide in shock. "Oh no."

"Aw, fuck," muttered Falco.

"Yeah. Peppy, see if you can figure out how much time she has." He sighed, hoping his other teammate had better news. "Falco, what about you?"

"Nothing good. Pepper said that there is nothing in the area that is capable of taking aboard an Arwing. The closest craft is the Horizon, and that's a good two, two and a half hours away."

"Shit," cursed Fox, holding his head in dismay. "Do you have Slippy on the line?"

"That I do. Let me patch him through. One sec."

The toad's vibrant and helpful voice came through over the com a few seconds later, not knowing the circumstances the team was in right now. "What's up, Fox?" he asked, his communication delayed a few seconds due to the distance.

"I need your technical expertise right now," he replied, desperately hoping that Slippy could come through for him, like he had many a time before. "Is there any way to connect two Arwings together, allowing just one to provide the thrust for both of them?"

"What?" he asked, shocked at the strangeness of the question. "What's going on out there?"

"I don't have any time to explain, Slippy, I just need an answer. Hurry." He looked up at Fara, who only shook her head as she noticed the attention, deep in thought.

Peppy contacted him privately, interrupting the conversation for just a moment, his voice extremely grim. "Fox, my best guess is 30 to 45 minutes, depending on when the system gave out and if the remaining air in the tanks went into the Arwing or out into space. Afterwards…" He trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence.

"Thanks." He happened to glance upwards again, worrying over his teammate, this time seeing Fara trying to get his attention. "Slippy, I'll get back to you in a minute. I'll need that answer then." The toad always worked best under pressure, so he hoped he would pull through once more. He tapped out the sequence to change channels again. "Fara, any luck?"

She nodded. "It's not a very good answer, and it's quite risky, but it's the best I could come up with."

"I don't really care what it is, as long as it involves you getting home safely." That much was the honest truth, but he was worried at what plan she had in mind. "What's your idea?"

"Well, to put it simply, the G-Diffuser's power can be extended slightly to affect things other than just the Arwing." She paused, thinking through her plan again. "My idea is to connect the two craft together via those wings, sorta like a magnet, one ship underneath the other."

Fox thought through what she'd said. It sounded like it would work, but then again this wasn't exactly his forte like it was with Fara. He knew one thing though. "What about the shields?"

"The shields should intermingle with each longer as long as they're set properly." She sounded unsure though as she continued. "In theory anyway."

Noticing that Slippy was trying to contact him, Fox said, "Sounds like a plan then. Figure out what you need to do, as I want to check one last thing. Be right back."

"Make it quick as this won't take long."

Once again he changed his helmet settings, talking to his team. "Guys, I have one possible solution. Slippy, what did you figure out?"

Fox could hear the sound of tapping in the background as he responded. "Looking at the specs and schematics available, I've come up with an idea. Boosting the power to the G-Diffusers can cause them to turn into a limited range tractor beam of sorts, allowing—"

The vulpine cut him off at this point, having already heard this. He did have some questions though. "No offense, Slippy, but this is the answer I've gotten from over here. How well will the shields hold up during execution of your idea, and is FTL travel possible?"

"Uh…" He paused as his mind switched gears to the new topic at hand. The clicking of a keyboard was heard in the background for a moment before he continued. "This will take a moment, so let me ask real quick – who's the disabled Arwing? I'm guessing it's not Falco or you, so that only leaves the other two."

"It's Fara. And it's far worse than you think out here – she's lost life-support."

"Oh no…" To the toad's credit, the keyboard noises paused for only a second before he redoubled his efforts.

"Yeah." Fara waved to him again, letting him know that she was done. "I need that answer, Slip, as we're going to try it with or without your findings in a moment."

"Almost… There. The numbers say that they'll hold in normal flight, and in FTL mode, as long as you don't hit anything out there. A collision would overload the G-Diffuser system, ripping off one or more of the secondary wings easily, causing a rather unstable chain reaction."

"Great." Fox, knowing the first step in Fara's plan, spun his Arwing right side up and slowly moved it towards the disabled craft. "Anything else?"

"It's the atmospheric flight that I'm worried about personally. The increased mass and drag far above and beyond normal fare will cause a lot of heat buildup against the shields. Don't lose them, whatever you do. You'll drastically increase the odds of the G-Diffusers failing."

"Thanks." He was now in position, ready to try this plan. "I need to go, as we're all ready here. Wish us luck." Quickly switching to his team, he gave one last bit of instructions. "Guys, follow me out, as you're my only backup incase something goes wrong." Finally, he contacted Fara. "I'm ready here. Tell me power levels, settings, and anything else I need, as you're the one with the plan."

"Okay." She quickly rattled off what he needed to know, her voice surprisingly calm even though she had very limited time left. She had to know that her oxygen wasn't going to last, or else she had pushed that out of her mind for the time being. "You ready?"

"Let's do this."

Maneuvering only by what his computer told him, as there was no way to visually line himself up, Fox cut his shields and moved into position. His collision alarms blared as he slowly bumped against the top of Fara's canopy. He was in position however, the G-Diffuser wings touching, about a foot of each wing overlapping. "Do I look good, guys?" he nervously asked his other two teammates who were watching nearby.

"Perfect," said Peppy calmly. He couldn't believe he was watching this. Then again, they had no other options.

"Good." Back to Fara he went via his headset, tired of constantly reaching up to make the changes. At least he could do it almost instantly now. "Firing up the G-Diffusers." Ignoring the alarms that blared, as the system had no idea what the pair were doing, other than something that was never supposed to happen, the blue wings powered up fully, attaching the two craft to each other. Killing the alarm as he quickly grew tired of hearing it, Fox asked, "Are we locked together, Fara?"

"Only one way to find out," she responded.

Touching the throttle control, the Arwing moved forward, the crippled craft following as it had nowhere else to go. He turned, firing up the engine again, feeling what effects having the craft attached was going to have on his travel. While the differences wouldn't be too much in space, although he did have twice as much mass to push around, this was going to greatly affect atmospheric flight. "Controls are lagging just a bit, but it's nothing I can't compensate for."

"Let's get the shields up then. Powering them up in three…two…one…"

Hitting the button simultaneously to activate the shields, as Fara figured that would be the only way to get them to intermingle without shearing the Arwings apart, the defenses came online, another alarm blaring as the computer had no idea why they weren't working like they should. Yet another alarm that was quickly muted with a touch of a button, as Fox was already tired of the noise. The data told both of them what they needed to know however – they were properly shielded, for now at least. "It looks good."

"Thankfully." She heard a muted click from the air vent behind her during the brief silence. That sound worried her greatly, as it could be only one of a few things. "Lead on, Fox. Let's get home."

"Roger." He touched the throttle and quickly accelerated to maximum speed once he got clear of the debris. His computer was already computing the information needed for a FTL jump, the system not quite knowing what to do with the extra size and mass. He eventually overrode the program, telling it to ignore the second Arwing, and to compute for only a single craft, as long as the G-Diffusers continued to receive power. "I'm going to lightspeed in 25, guys," he told the others briefly as he looked at the data. "Peppy, talk to the base for me as soon as you can."

"Understood."

Fara meanwhile took a brief sniff of the air as the team said their affirmatives, realizing what the noise was. The last of the oxygen in the life-support systems had drained out, sealing up the connection as it did so. The only air she had left now was what was in her cockpit, growing more and more stale with each passing breath. She chose not to tell Fox this though, as she didn't want to worry him further. There wasn't anything he could do about it anyway, and he would find out soon enough himself if he checked.

"Going to lightspeed," he told her, trying to keep his worried voice calm, seconds before the system engaged. "Don't worry, Fara, you'll make it home."

She didn't say anything in response, concentrating only on slowing her heart rate, trying to use as little air as possible. She knew that she would make it home, that much was for certain.

Fara was just worried if she would make it home alive.

The once sleek Arwing, now looking like a bloated animal with the crippled one attached underneath it, shot forward as the FTL drive kicked in, disappearing with a flash of light into the distance. 


	33. The Rush Home

The race back home when time isn't on your side can be one of the most difficult things in a pilot's career. What will happen to Fox and Fara? Read on to find out.

* * *

**Chapter 33: The Rush Home**

_Somebody, anybody… If you can hear me, please make sure Fara lives through this. I'll do anything in exchange, anything you want. She can't die, not like this, not now. – _Fox

The field of stars slowly moved in the distance, giving some sense of speed as the Arwings hurtled forward, racing against time to keep Fara alive. Left with nothing else to do other than monitor power levels, Fox stared at his sensor readings, trying to guess just how much time the vixen had. It was a difficult task at best, as the system was not designed to gather information at the speed they were traveling.

What little tidbits he could acquire though did not bode well for the pilot. By the computer's best guess, she had exhausted what oxygen she had left in the tanks, leaving her with what little the cockpit contained. It was a result that Fox was not pleased to see, as that didn't help at all with her chances.

The timer until he exhausted his FTL fuel slowly counted down, Fox watching the display like a hawk, as if willing it to go faster. Next to that was his computed flight plan, the display telling him that once he burned out his fuel, he still had an estimated 15 minutes to go until he landed.

Odds were that Fara wasn't going to last that long.

Left with no other option, short of wishing he could simply will the Arwing to go faster, he sat there in his seat and waited. There was nothing he could do other than wait and hope for the best.

Fara on the other hand had to contend with the almost absolute silence of being dragged through space, the air around her declining rapidly in quality. Normally she would be able to hear the engine rumbling beneath her, and the soft hiss of the life-support system recycling the air she was breathing, but thanks to the damage she had taken, both of these systems were deathly quiet. Thankfully, her computer was chirping away on its own, so there was some noise to concentrate on, but the warning that was continuously flashing on her screen didn't help matters any.

She let her mind wander, trying to think of anything but the situation she was in. It wasn't easy though, as with every stale breath she was unpleasantly reminded of where she was. Unable to focus on anything short of the craft around her, she did the worst thing possible – she leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to relax.

Not thinking correctly from the lack of oxygen, as she would have realized that what she was doing was a very bad idea, she dropped into unconsciousness a few minutes later, her last thoughts on the pilot above trying to save her life.

* * *

A cautionary tone sounded from Fox's computer a short time later, asking for his attention. Looking away from the stars, which had been occupying his time as he traveled, he found out that the tone was nothing more than a notice that he would be dropping out of lightspeed shortly. Nervously he held his paw over the communication controls, ready to contact Fara as soon as he slowed down, greatly worried as to her condition.

With a slight rumble the fuels powering the FTL drive emptied, the retro-rockets firing to bring his speed to a level where the shields could protect his Arwing without the power created by that fuel. Wasting no further time, he tried to raise the other craft. "Fara, it's Fox. How are you?"

His worry was well placed, as he heard nothing in response.

"Fara? Please respond."

Still nothing.

Heart racing in near panic, he listened in carefully, trying to hear anything, as his computer said that she was transmitting. After covering his other ear and blocking out all other noise around him, he finally picked up her raspy breathing, trying desperately to get enough oxygen out of the air to survive. It was a fight that she was clearly losing.

And the autopilot still said he had another fourteen to go at his current speed.

With no other options available to him, as the only place that could help Fara now was Corneria, he threw the throttle forward, intending to go much faster than he was going now. He was rather surprised when the computer refused to comply with his request, instead choosing to display multiple notices on his screen.

"The hell?" he cursed as he looked at the screen, demanding to know why his order wasn't being followed. The answer was a simple one – without the extra power provided by the FTL drive, the Arwing simply couldn't generate enough protection to keep him from harm incase of a collision at any speed faster than his current one. He cursed again as he started tapping the screen, looking for a way to override that safety protocol, unable to believe the things he had to go through just to save someone's life.

As he desperately worked, muttering under his breath in displeasure the entire time, his computer beeped at him again, this time telling him that his teammates had dropped out of lightspeed nearby. He kept quiet however, not in the mood to talk to them, and they surprisingly did the same back to him. Hoping that they were talking with the base instead, letting them know that there was a gravely injured pilot being dragged home, he continued his work. There had to be an override somewhere for this – it was just a matter of finding it.

All communications continued to stay silent as he finally found the safety toggles, surprised at what he found. He could completely disable individual sections of the ship and even cause it to self-destruct from here. Scrolling down a page of options, he finally found the one he needed. After overriding it and tapping the button once more to make sure, his Arwing suddenly rocketed forward as his boosters came to life.

That move brought him some attention from his teammates, both knowing that the Arwing was not supposed to be going faster than its current speed. "What did you just do, Fox?" asked Peppy. "We can't match—"

"I'm saving Fara's life," interrupted the vulpine, perturbed that he had to explain himself. He watched as his speed continued to climb, ignoring the warning messages passing by his terminal. All he knew was that he had to get home as soon as possible, and he was ready to take as many risks as necessary to do so.

Peppy sighed, not liking how his simple question could be so misinterpreted, but expecting it based on the situation at hand. "That's not what I mean, Fox. Just…just be careful. You know that you aren't properly protected at those speeds. If anything happens to you…"

Fox knew exactly what he meant. "I know. But I will not let Fara die on me, not this close to base. She's non-responsive to my hails."

Faced with the only option, Peppy had to agree. "You're right. Just watch yourself."

"I will. Fox out." A quick check told him he was now traveling at 1/2 the speed of light, instead of the normal 1/3rd that the Arwing's cruising speed was. It still wasn't fast enough though as he held the throttle forward, his boosters continuing to flare behind him.

The computer's tone turned to one much more serious a few seconds later, not only warning him that a collision at this speed would more than likely mark his destruction, but that his boosters were beginning to overheat from use. While they were designed to be used as often as needed, they were never made for a constant burn like Fox was putting them through. He didn't care in the slightest if he damaged any of his Arwing's systems at the moment though. All he wanted to do was to get Fara home safe and sound.

* * *

Other people began noticing his speed at this point – namely the base. Beginning to grow highly concerned as he neared the planet, there was a short discussion as to who should be the lucky one to talk some sense into the vulpine. Gary somehow drew the short straw, as Pepper was currently occupied talking to someone else, getting passed the headset to have a little chat. Not quite knowing how to start, he began with his usual style – being rather blunt. "Fox, this is Gary. We need to talk."

Fox shook his head as he listened to the static-filled voice, the communication systems at both ends not designed to transmit and receive messages at the speed he was going, which was now approaching 2/3rds light speed. "What?" he grumbled.

"Have you ever heard of the laws of dynamics? Or the laws of energy associated with dynamics?"

That caught the vulpine off guard, as that wasn't what he was expecting to hear at all. "Huh?"

"Let me put it this way then. What do you think is going to happen when you reach Corneria going 2/3rds light?"

With a warning siren, Fox's Arwing suddenly rumbled, his boosters cutting off abruptly. They had overheated, the safeties shutting them down. This was as fast as he was going to go for now. "What do you mean?" he asked, not thinking things through, more concerned at his craft failing him like this.

Gary couldn't believe he was hearing this. He was shocked that Fox didn't understand some of the more basic concepts of space flight, especially since his father was such a well-known pilot. He wondered what he could have on his mind to make him forget it. "Let me put it this way then. What happens when an Arwing going your speed enters Corneria's atmosphere?" He paused for an answer, but upon getting no response he continued, concerned over the lack of what he was hearing. "The answer is a simple one – you burn up. What's on your mind, Fox? You know this."

That rather direct statement brought Fox back to his senses, at least for the time being. He was also surprised that the cheetah hadn't been told the details yet. "What's Pepper doing?" he asked, changing the subject, noticing that the computer was telling him that he had just under four minutes at this current speed until he reached Corneria.

"Not so fast," said Gary as he made a quick calculation on the terminal in front of him. "Don't think I don't see how fast you're going. You better start slowing down once you hit the final two minutes or else you won't be making it home." He looked around, finding the answer as Fox stayed quiet, listening in on the conversation as he responded. "Pepper's talking to someone else on your..." He stopped, shocked at what he just heard in the background, catching just enough to be worried. "What the heck happened out there?"

"Too long of a story. Now you know why I'm going so fast." He quieted, watching as Corneria grew larger in front of him.

"How is she?" asked Gary gently, having heard some of the rumors that were beginning to float around the base about them.

Fox stayed silent far too long before he responded, showing his concern. "I don't know. She's not responding."

Pepper was barking orders to those around him, preparing for the worst. Gary, meanwhile, was clearing a flight route for the speeding Arwing, making sure that nothing would be in his way. A new flight plan suddenly appeared in Fox's computer, giving him an exact course to follow. "Fox, you should have received a flight plan in your computer. Based on a pristine condition, fully shielded Arwing, this is the fastest you can blow through the atmosphere. It's anything but a pleasant ride however."

The vulpine looked over the data with a critical eye, not really liking what he saw. While it seemed sound, it was only designed for a lone, undamaged Arwing, not the conjoined craft that was currently bearing down on the planet. "Has this been tested at all? Or is this another computer simulation?"

"Fara herself tested this once actually, and it's been through a few simulations incase of emergencies. But with both of you together like this…" He let his voice trail off, not having any kind of accurate answer.

"If Fara's run through it herself, that's good enough for me. I hope this works."

"As do we all." He paused, listening in on Pepper's comments in the background. "Engineering has been advised of your situation and plans, and will have the bay cleared and prepared for your arrival. The medics are ready to receive Fara, and you if need be."

Fox was looking over the flight plan once more, comparing it with his current course. He was going to have to make some adjustments, and soon. "I have a harried landing ahead of me, Gary, as long as this is accurate, so I need to go soon. Anything else?"

"Only one thing – we're going to lose communications and all automatic tracking of your Arwing when you enter the atmosphere at the speed you're going, so please contact us as soon as you can get clear signal out. The base, and myself, wish you the best of luck. Be careful."

Fox smiled, glad to know he had everyone concerned over his well-being. "Understood. Fox out." Having one last worried thought about Fara, he pushed everything out of his mind and prepared for his descent.

* * *

The command staff at the base watched as Fox's transponder signal vanished off their screens as he entered the atmosphere. As the satellites in Corneria's orbit were only designed to track things like the local weather below them, and only check for objects that might pass above, the base was effectively blind to the Arwing's approach via those methods. His entry vector placed him outside of any ground-based radar as well, as his flight plan brought him over one of the planet's lush oceans.

The room grew deathly quiet, as if collectively everyone held their breath, the computer currently devoted to watching over the approaching Arwing silencing as well as it no longer had anything to track. Pepper broke the stillness in the room a few seconds later, asking his second-in-command, "Gary, how long do we have before we hear from Junior again?"

The cheetah looked over the data recorded from previous attempts, making a worried glance at the silent computer in the process. "When Fara made this journey, she contacted us approximately 48 seconds after we lost contact, with her Arwing coming into radar range at the 1:30 mark. Computer simulations backed up her data to a range of two seconds in either direction basically."

"And with his current mass and aerodynamic performance?"

Gary shook his head as he typed, a small clock appearing in the corner of the large screen devoted to the radar scans where Fox would appear. It currently read fifteen seconds. "Honestly, I don't know. The timer is there to show how long it's been. We can only wait."

Pepper stood there and watched, outwardly his normal stoic self, but inwardly he was worried. He couldn't afford to lose two of his best pilots, especially not like this. The morale blow alone would be crippling. Looking over at the lynx sitting at her post nearby, he said, "Celine, make sure you let us know as soon as you hear something."

She sighed quietly, not needing the prompt to do her job properly, but knowing that such a strange request meant that her boss was worried. "Yes, sir, I will."

The four that were in the command center sat and watched as the seconds slowly ticked by, each having nothing else that they could be doing. Time itself seemed to slow as they stared, as if taunting them, trying to aggravate them into action.

At the 45 second mark, Celine could take no more of the silence. "Fox McCloud, this is Corneria Base. Please respond."

Nothing.

The timer continued to increase, passing Fara's estimate. At 50 seconds, everyone became increasingly worried, the silence nothing but a bad sign.

"Try again," said Pepper quietly, his back to everyone as he stood up front.

"Fox McCloud, please respond." 55 seconds had now passed.

And still there was no response.

A minute had passed by, the feeling of dread quickly building. It was taking far too long. Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong.

Gary was desperately scanning the skies at maximum magnification, trying to pick up the Arwings visually. The image on the main screen jumped around as he searched, but they seemed to still be too far out as he didn't have any luck.

Celine tried again at the 1:05 mark, not waiting for any further prompting from the General. "Fox McCloud, if you can hear me, please respond."

Pepper turned away from the screen and looked over his staff, trying to find a glimmer of hope, or at least some sign that Fox was alive. But there was none as they shook their heads sadly. "Fox should be in radar range shortly at least based on speed alone," said Gary, trying to find something positive to say.

The General turned back around without saying a word, his concern clearly shown on his face for the few seconds it was visible. He stood there, his paws clasped behind his back, trying to push his worry out of his mind, trying to show the others that there would be a positive resolution to this. He just couldn't do it.

The timer now read 1:20, and nobody knew what to do. Each of them hoped that they wouldn't have to see a charred husk of an Arwing falling out of the sky as the seconds continued to advance. Not able to stand the silence, Celine decided to try one last desperate attempt before waiting on a radar contact. "Fox McCloud, if you can hear this, please—"

To much joy and momentary cheering, the vulpine's static-filled voice interrupted her plea. "Corneria Base… Fox... I hope I didn't worry you…down there, but it's…only get worse."

That wasn't quite the response they were looking for.

* * *

Things had not gone well ever since Fox hit Corneria's atmosphere. Even though he had slowed more than required based on his flight plan, knowing that the conjoined craft would greatly affect his stability and control, it hadn't been enough. The shields flared up the instant he began his descent, and based on the alarms his computer was yelling at him, he was still going far too fast.

Firing up the retro-rockets once more, overheating notices passing by his screen already, he desperately fought to maintain control. His visibility hampered by the shear amount of heat he was generating as he charged forward, the shields changing from a gentle blue to an angered red as they tried to protect the ships, it was all he could do to keep his Arwing from spinning out of control, much less follow the flight plan. Because of this, he spent too much time in the upper atmosphere, doing far more damage than expected to his systems and defenses.

When he finally broke into, and quickly through, the light cloud cover in the area, it was at this point where everything began to fall apart. The shields overloaded, strained far beyond their design specs, shutting down with a spectacular flash around him, exposing the hull to the heat he was generating due to his speed. Thankfully communications held together, at least for the moment, as he heard Celine say around bouts of static, "Fox McCloud, if…hear this, please…"

He cut her off upon noticing the worry in her voice, continuing to pull back the throttle as he tried to slow down. He didn't know how long the retro-rockets were going to hold out in the heat though. "Corneria Base, this is Fox. I hope I didn't worry you too much down there, but it's about to only get worse."

Gary took over on the ground, trying to guide him in, even though he didn't have radar contact yet. "Fox, what's…status? What's your speed…far are you out?"

Warning sirens wailing around him, Fox ignored the sweat matting his fur, trying to keep his craft together in this heat. Locking the thruster control in place, he used that paw to try to bring the shields back up. After a few seconds, he knew his attempt was futile, as the computer said that he had fried the system completely upon reentry. "The shields blew a few seconds ago and the Arwing is not taking the heat well." He quieted as his craft lurched, the retros shutting down due to the heat buildup. "Damn it!" he cursed.

A panicked Gary interrupted his line of thought, but only for a moment. "Fox…going too fast! You need to…at least 1200mph off…speed, or else the tractor beams in engineering…won't stop you!"

Knowing exactly what buttons to push as he continued his rapid descent, Fox overrode the safeties, not caring if he damaged the thrusters at this point. All he wanted to do was to get home. The engineering staff could fix anything he broke anyway, or at least so he thought. "Don't you think I know that?" he asked as the retro-rockets flared to life once more, his attempts successful. "I'm trying, but systems are failing left and right."

"I can see…from here. Try to…"

With a burst of static, the communication died, the entire system failing as it heated to a temperature far beyond anything expected by its designers. He cursed as the computer told him that he was burning up, the armor plating underneath him glowing from the heat. He fought to maintain control, hoping that his craft would simply stay together until he landed.

He also hoped that Fara would still be alive as well.

* * *

"His communications just went out, sir," said Celine, shaking her head at Gary's latest question. She felt utterly helpless, unable to do anything but simply hope for the best.

"Great," he muttered silently in response, looking over his terminal. "I just lost his transponder signal as well."

"Can we get a visual?" asked Pepper as he continued to look at the main screen.

"I'll try." He switched his headset to another channel as he fiddled with his controls, trying to second-guess where the Arwing would be. "Engineering, this is control. Have you been monitoring the situation up here?"

"Aye, that we have been," responded Cyrus, his voice surprisingly calm despite the developing problems. Then again not having to deal with them directly might have been the deciding factor. "He needs to—"

"By the Creator!" Celine's startled voice interrupted everything as she, and everybody else who saw the video feed, stared at shock at what they saw. Gary had passed over the Arwings, stunning those who happened to see it, and quickly readjusted the controls to get a visual lock. A few seconds later, they found out how bad the situation really was.

The underside of both Arwings was almost red in color from the heat of reentry, wisps of smoke clearly visible streaming away from both craft. As they watched, the retro-rockets of the lead vehicle, which had been firing the entire time to slow them down, burst into flame, ugly black smoke trailing into the early afternoon skyline. Thankfully, the fire-suppression systems were still operational, the flames dying within seconds, but the damage had already been done.

The Arwings no longer had any method to slow down to a decent speed for landing.

Gary's paws flew over his terminal, powering up every emergency generator the base had available, knowing that there was one last chance. If Fox could get the crippled craft to base anyway. "Cyrus, it's all up to you right now. The backup generators have been activated, so draw whatever power you need from them."

The badger was glum as he responded, as he was without any ideas for the moment. "Incase you've forgotten, the tractor beam setup down the launch tunnel is only rated to 900mph, and that's for emergency situations only. The lads are going over 2000 right now according to these readings."

"You have a minute and a half before he gets here, and I have no way to tell him to abort." He looked up at the main viewer again, shaking his head at the conjoined craft, somehow staying together despite all the damage it had taken. "And there's nowhere else for them to land, not at that speed."

Cyrus groaned, knowing that what he said was the truth. It was always one challenge after another for his team. "We'll find a way. Engineering out." He turned and looked at his team, noticing the pair from the medical bay in one corner, ready to get to work. "Lads, 'tis crunch time. We have just over a minute to get the tractors configured to slow both of them, even though they're going double the maximum rated speed of the devices."

He looked at the back wall near one of the elevators, where the craft would come to a very explosive end if they failed. "And if we fail, we all die rather quickly when both of those Arwings explode on impact with the far wall." Smiling, he continued, cracking his knuckles as his mind started to run through possibilities. He trusted his team however, as they all had worked very well together under pressure before. "Let's get to work."

* * *

With his retro-rockets a charred mess, Fox desperately searched for other methods to slow the Arwings down. He didn't dare further abuse the G-Diffuser system, as it was the only thing that kept the two craft together. He couldn't exactly turn around at this speed and use the main engine or boosters to reduce his forward momentum, so he was left with very few options. And none of them he could safely implement with Fara's craft attached behind him.

Making sure he was still lined up with the base, he moved his craft from side to side, trying to bleed off some of his excess speed. The Arwing rattled violently with each course correction he made, alarms now blaring constantly around him. It was almost unbearably hot in the cockpit, his fur practically soaked through from the heat, and it left him wondering just how long he, or the craft, could last under these conditions.

The unasked question was answered a few seconds later, as his computer and all the necessary displays he needed to guide his craft in suddenly flashed on and off, failing due to the heat. "Oh no you don't," grumbled Fox as he hit the monitor with his knuckles, the device springing back to life with his actions. If the computer died on him, his hopes of making it home went with it.

Now only 30 seconds away from home, assuming the computer was still accurate, Fox risked a quick glance around him and watched as the ground sped by at amazing speeds, speeds far beyond what the Arwing was meant to obtain in its current condition. He rocketed above one of the many forests on the planet, less than a couple hundred feet above the tallest trees. Based on what he remembered of the area surrounding the base, he was basically home free now, as there were only those trees between him and home.

He continued his approach, slowly cutting back his airspeed from his repeated movements, watching as his ETA timer counted down. He smiled as the computer finally spotted Corneria Base in the distance, sitting on top of a small hill, surrounded by the forest. To say that he was relieved to see home again was an understatement, as at times he never expected to see it again.

Making one last course correction to line himself up with the launch bay, hoping that his Arwing could be stopped, as otherwise this would be his messiest landing ever, the blaring alarms squawked one last time before his computer failed on him with a pitiful chirp. Cursing, but not missing the system much as its usefulness had come to an end once he made sure he was lined up for a landing, every other functional system controlled by the myriad of switches around him, he charged towards a landing.

As he entered the launch bay, he felt the tractor beams make brief grabs at the Arwings, each attempt throwing him against his restraints for an instant. As he quickly progressed further inside, the tugs became more and more insistent, straining him and the craft with each attempt. He began to feel sick, the G-forces jumping up and down more often than a roller coaster, playing havoc with his overheated body.

He shot out into the main bay all too quickly, still going too fast to stop, or at least he thought. With one last attempt before he collided with the far wall, he was grabbed with such force that he almost yelled in pain from being shoved against the straps holding him in. The Arwing creaked and shuddered around him, threatening to fall apart at the seams.

Fox never saw what happened afterwards, as his body fell into blissful unconsciousness, the combination of exhaustion, heat, and G-forces simply too much for him to handle anymore.


	34. Recovery and Recuperation

What has happened to both Fox and Fara after their abrupt landing? You're about to find out.

* * *

**Chapter 34: Recovery and Recuperation**

_I told Fox that we were pushing our luck, that someday it would run out. That almost happened, and we almost lost two people I call my friends in the process. For all our sakes, I hope this doesn't happen again._ – Slippy 

Darkness.

Silence.

The lack of sensory input was a wonderful feeling, one that he wanted to stay and experience. But there was something…a certain something…that was hovering just outside his personal space, something that was interfering with his time away from the world.

On top of that, there was a nagging feeling of something that was far more important than anything he was experiencing right now. Something he had to find the answer to immediately for some reason or another. 

Focusing on whatever was nearby, Fox McCloud worked his way out of the blissful peace and quiet that encompassed his thoughts and back into the world around him.

* * *

"You lied to me last time, allowing my pilots to skirt their duties for a few hours. My staff and I regretted that move for the rest of the day. I'm waiting right here."

"You will vacate these premises right now, General, or I will call security and have you escorted out of here. Inside these chambers, they will follow my orders, and you know it. Go bother your other pilots if you want details of that mission of yours so badly."

Devan smiled as he listened to his boss argue with Pepper, knowing exactly who would win the argument before it even started. Taking one last glance at Fox, who currently lay on the bed in front of him, clad in little more than the basic white hospital gown commonly used, he made sure his vitals were within reason via the display on the wall above him and watched the battle of words progress.

The pair stood face to face near the entrance of the medical bay, Pepper's towering presence fighting against the aura of authority that Zhen emitted. It was a battle that the panda had every intention of winning, but she had other, more important things to deal with. "Now if you'll excuse me, General," she said calmly while looking him straight in the eyes, "I have patients to look after. Please leave, before we both do something we'll regret later."

Ducking his head so he could hide the huge grin now forming on his face, Devan happened to glance at Fox, who to his surprise had his eyes open and was looking directly at him. Pepper on the other hand had spun in place and stomped off, clearly upset but knowing that there wasn't much he could do about it. "Come over here a moment, Zhen," said the hare as soon as the canine had gotten out of earshot.

She walked over with a curious look on her face, glad to finally have the hotheaded General out of her office. "Is there something I—" Looking down at her patient as she neared, she was surprised to see him awake. "Well what do we have here?" she asked with a pleasant smile. "Good morning, Fox McCloud. How are you feeling?"

Fox lay there, staying quiet as his head moved from side to side, obviously trying to find somebody. Unable to locate his objective, it became clear that based on his movements that he was going to sit up. The medics moved to stop him, placing their paws on his shoulders. "Don't even think about it," said Zhen gently. "Wait a few minutes before you get up, or you'll regret your actions. You've been out for the last 20 hours. You need to give your body some time to adjust."

The vulpine muttered something in a hoarse whisper as he moved his paws back on top of his stomach, showing that he was going to comply for now. Devan leaned in closer and tried to understand what he just said. "Care to repeat that?"

Blinking his eyes as he stared at the lights stretched across the ceiling, he tried again after taking a moment to gather his strength. "How's Fara…and the rest of the team…doing?"

Devan hesitated just a moment before responding, trying to make sure that with his answer Fox stayed in bed for a while more. "They're doing fine. Just lie there and I'll get them for you."

Shaking his head in disagreement, Fox cleared his throat, pleased to see his voice start to come back. "Why don't I—" He cut himself off with a pair of coughs. He tried again before he could be interrupted, this time more successful. "Why don't I believe you?"

Zhen took command of the conversation at this point, now able to understand the vulpine fully. "Devan, why don't you look after Ms. Phoenix for right now. I'll answer our patient's questions."

"Sure thing." He turned and walked off, tapping buttons on his datapad to bring up the relevant information he needed.

Looking back over to Fox, she glanced at the monitor above him and said, "Okay, Fox, let me be completely honest with you. The three males on your team are in perfect condition, or as close as they're going to be anyway. I just approved Slippy to return to the cockpit earlier today, and judging by his mood, he's eager to fly once more."

"What about Fara?" he rasped, coughing once more.

She smiled and shook her head, not exactly surprised to see this much concern for his fellow pilot instead of his own. "Don't interrupt. I was getting to that." She looked at her datapad as she continued. "You are in relatively good condition, although I worry about how long you were unconscious before. For your own safety, I'm temporarily removing you off the flight roster for a day or two. Go relax, go get some sleep. It's all I ask."

He was about to say something when Zhen raised a paw to stop him. "As for Ms. Phoenix…" She glanced at something outside of Fox's view for a moment. "For starters, you saved her life doing what you did yesterday. Another five minutes and I doubt we could've brought her back." She thought back to Fara's near-lifeless condition when they pried her from the Arwing many an hour ago. It was very touch-and-go for a bit, but eventually she pulled through.

"How is she?" he asked upon noticing her silence. His voice was quickly strengthening. "What kind of injuries did she sustain?"

"Multiple skin lacerations, a few somewhat deep, numerous first-degree and a few second-degree burns, and a very injured ego if I had to make a guess." She thought back to a prior incident that was something like this a few months back. "What exactly happened to her?"

Fox looked surprised to hear that question. "Nobody told you?"

"We were too busy trying to save her life to ask for a full explanation. You were also the only one to see the damage to her Arwing firsthand before the rather harried landing according to your teammates."

He thought for a moment before responding. "Only if you let me see her."

Zhen gently laughed, amused to see this reaction. It seemed that the rumors floating around about a possible attraction between the two of them were true. She wondered if Fara had the same thoughts. "You drive a hard bargain, but it is one I can agree to."

Fox moved to sit up once more, this time the medic making no moves to stop him, short of clasping a small band to his wrist. His head spun as he righted himself, but he suffered no other ill effects. "Fara was inside the blast radius of a Nova Bomb. The shields took some of the damage, but judging by the condition of the consoles nearby when I first found her, they didn't absorb much."

She nodded, knowing why the incident seemed so familiar. "That explains it then. I was here when she returned after a mishap on one of her test flights, and I was wondering why her injuries seemed so familiar."

Ignoring his dizziness, Fox moved to the edge of the bed and hung his legs off the side. He paused there, waiting only a moment before he hopped off the edge onto his bare feet. Zhen stood nearby, making sure that she wasn't needed if he decided to topple over. Instead the vulpine stood there, making sure he had his balance, turning to look at the medic when he was ready. "I hope you aren't employing the same solution to her injuries," he said, remembering the story that Fara told him after their very first battle.

"If you mean the regeneration tanks as to being the method of her recovery, then your answer is that we are."

Fox was shocked to hear that statement, his head snapping over to the two cylindered chambers in the center of the room, noticing Devan looking over the occupant of one of them. He started walking over, his first steps anything but stable on the white, tiled floor. "She hates that thing, you know that?"

Zhen nodded as she followed the vulpine closely. She clearly remembered Fara's reaction when she was last here. "I know. Most people have a general dislike of the feeling one gets during treatment, but as for Fara…"

"She told me her story a few days ago. Can't you let her out of there?"

The two walked around to the front of the device, Fox's eyes going straight to Fara's head, which was the only part of her body currently visible. A few patches of slightly charred fur could be seen on her face, bringing a quick gasp of shock from the vulpine. "Using her face as an example," said Zhen from behind him, "imagine that over a good portion of her body, only far more severe."

Devan looked up from the monitor on the front of the cylinder, making notations on his datapad. "Without Fara here soaking in this, she would be anything but the pretty vixen she is right now. She deserves that much at least."

Fox patted the top of Fara's head, just grateful to see her alive. How she looked was of no real concern to him, as it was the person inside that counts. He could see the hare's point though. "You're right," he said as he pulled his paw away. "Is she unconscious right now or—"

"She's currently medicated," answered Zhen, pleased to see the light contact between the two. "It's easier on the patient to start, but we can't keep her like that as it hampers the recovery effort."

"Oh." Yawning suddenly, Fox shook his head in an attempt to wake up. He had too many things to do and to think about for sleep to interfere. His stomach grumbled as he continued, reminding him that he hadn't eaten any real food as well in almost a day. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get something to eat. Call me when Fara wakes, okay?"

Zhen shook her head, having another plan in mind for her patient. "Why don't you return to your room and relax, while I go call your teammate Peppy and have him bring you a healthy meal. That way you can sit, eat, and talk about what you've missed."

The plan made sense, but it felt like he was being forced to do it somehow. "If you insist."

She could clearly see the hesitation in his voice. "It's not an order, but I can make it one easily enough."

Fox sighed. "All right. Don't forget to call Peppy."

Devan laughed from the other side of the pair. "Don't worry. Unlike what we do with Pepper and the higher ups, we have no reason to lie to our patients."

"My assistant is correct – we're completely honest with what we say. Just go get some rest for now."

"Okay." He finally noticed the gown he was wearing, debating if he should leave with it on. "What should I do with this thing?" he asked, indicating his outfit.

"I'll have Peppy return it," said Zhen, wondering when he would notice. "Just make sure to change into something more comfortable beforehand. Also, don't even think about removing that wristband – it's your connection to the medical center here. It's waterproof, so you can shower in it with no problem." 

He looked at his wrist, surprised that he hadn't noticed the device. "Okay." The vulpine shrugged about his lack of attire as he worked his way out of the medical bay, taking one last long look at Fara before leaving. Once again, his team had survived another brush with death. As the doors closed behind him, he wondered just how many more close calls they would have before their luck ran out.

* * *

Thankfully for Fox's modesty he didn't encounter anybody during the short walk between the medical bay and his room. Stopping only long enough to touch his paw to the scanner at his door, he walked inside, going straight to his closet to find something to change into. It didn't take him long to find a decent outfit, his time instead spent debating on taking a quick shower instead of just changing into it. In the end, his need for cleanliness won out. He figured it would also wake him up somewhat, remembering his earlier yawn.

Clothes draped over one paw, Fox walked over to the washroom, looking wishfully at his bed as he passed. He moved on though, knowing that he had too many other things that needed to be done instead of his own personal needs. He closed the door behind him and placed his outfit on the sink as he dropped his gown to the floor, not caring where it ended up.

Fifteen minutes later, he came back out, trying to soak up as much water as possible via his oversized towel. That was the only problem with fur he mused – while it was a great natural protector, and it kept him rather warm even in the coldest of weather, it was such a pain to dry out. Grabbing a hunk of it at random, he noticed that he was due for a trimming, as it was starting to get long once more.

Finding himself mostly dried out after a few minutes of work, he yawned, noticing that instead of invigorating him, the hard work associated with showering had sapped what little energy he had. His stomach rumbled once more as he dressed, reminding him about his lack of food, and how Peppy was due any minute with his meal.

However, as he walked back out into the main part of the room, his eyes were drawn to the comfortable bed once more. This time around, his instincts won over his need to get other things done, and he practically dropped onto the bed, falling into a deep slumber less than a minute later.

When Peppy arrived not too long afterward, carrying a tray loaded with some of Fox's favorite meat and bread products, counterbalanced with his helmet on the other side, he was surprised to see the door open without any kind of acknowledgement from the occupant. He was even more surprised to see the vulpine sound asleep on his bed, expecting to see him wide awake after being out for so long. 

Not wanting to wake him up, Peppy quietly placed the tray on the nightstand, taking care he didn't make any noise. Before he turned to leave, he looked at his commander, noticing the peaceful look on his face. He knew that this was the only time that Fox could forget about the worries of leadership, and he could tell that their adventures in the last few days were starting to get to him. Making a mental note to check up on him later, the hare left just as silently as he entered.

* * *

A few hours later Fox awoke with a start, his fur matted with sweat. He had been dreaming, and from what little he could remember it wasn't a peaceful one. It had ended with an image of an extremely frightened Fara, simply looking at him and screaming for all she was worth.

Not knowing what the dream meant, but worrying him all the same, he rolled out of bed, his first goal to find out if anything was going on. Eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness that he didn't remember before he fell asleep, his fingers pecked at the keyboard for a moment before Devan's face appeared on the screen. "Medical bay, this is..." He stopped, recognizing who he was talking to. "Oh, evening, Fox. How are you feeling?"

The vulpine looked stunned for a moment, amazed that he had slept that long. "Evening?"

"Last time I checked it was anyway. Let's see..." His face ducked out of the picture for a moment as he read the clock on the far wall. "Yup, still evening. It's 19:17 according to the clock, and all is well. What's up?"

Fox smiled at the medic's antics, deciding against making a comment about it has he wanted to get straight to the point. "How's Fara doing?"

Devan turned around in his chair, looking at the readings at the nearby regeneration tank. "She's still sleeping, Fox. Something wrong?"

"No, everything's okay. Just checking." His stomach gurgled rather loudly all of a sudden, being very rude in reminding him that he hadn't eaten any solid food in more than a day now. He hoped that the noise wasn't heard on the other side on the conversation.

But it had. "Was that what I think it was?" asked the hare.

"Yeah."

Devan looked concerned. "Why didn't you eat what Peppy brought you? Have you eaten anything at all?"

"No. I…sorta fell asleep as soon as I got back here." He looked around upon smelling something in the air. "As for Peppy…" He smiled as he found the plate of food near his bed, thanking the hare mentally for coming through for him. He'd have to repay him later somehow. "He was here while I was out."

"Good to hear. I'll let you go then. Devan out."

Fox didn't pay attention at all to the medic's closing comments, as he was already up and walking over to his food, as if a supernatural force was controlling him. He was so hungry at this point that all he saw was his meal, and woe to anyone who might get in his way.

The two now cold pork sandwiches vanished in a very short time span, Fox going as far as licking the plate clean to make sure he got every bite. With the food gone, his primal instincts released their grip upon his mind, the vulpine dropping onto his bed with a groan. He blinked, trying to remember what his goals were before he fell asleep earlier.

Standing back up, he looked at the tray formerly stacked with food and debated on getting anything else tonight. Noticing his helmet lying there, he put it on, surprised that he didn't realize it was missing earlier. As it was one of the few connections left with his family, it was something that he rarely ever took off anymore, now that it had been given to him with little explanation. With a sigh, he thought about his parents, pushing the sad thoughts out of his mind a few seconds later. He had other concerns at the moment.

Deciding against getting additional food, knowing that eating too much was just as bad as not eating enough, he made up his mind to go down to engineering to see just how much damage had been caused to the Arwings. Pausing only long enough to pull his boots upon his bare feet, he left his room and walked over to the closest elevator, nodding in greeting to the few people he saw passing him by to go to the mess hall.

The ride down to the engineering deck was a short one, Fox running into nobody else in the process. The doors opened upon his arrival, giving him a good overview of how much work needed to be done to get the craft in operational condition once more.

He did not like what he saw.

The two damaged Arwings had all their armor plating removed, making the craft look nothing like their sleek selves, exposing the skeleton-like interior. Sitting at one side of the room, it was clear that the armor plates were worthless, their colors a muted red and orange instead of the silver they normally were. The engineers scurried like ants, the group of twelve split into two teams in an attempt to get the vehicles flight capable once more, pulling various components out of the craft and laying them anywhere where space was available.

As he approached, members of the staff turned and said their greetings, not waiting for a response before getting back to work. They had a job to do and they were going to let nothing get in their way. Making sure he didn't interfere with their task, Fox wandered around and tried to find Cyrus for a status on the repairs.

Someone a bit more familiar to him found him first, however.

"Hey, Fox!" yelled Slippy, running up to him from behind an Arwing, clutching a toolbox in one paw and a rag in the other. He was splattered with grease and other unidentifiable substances, but true to form, he seemed to not care in the slightest. He was just pleased to get to play around with the innards of the crafts.

Smiling at his teammate, not at all surprised to see him down here working, he said, "Evening, Slip. How are things going?"

The toad looked over the Arwing he had been working on, putting down his tools and trying to clean up best he could. "Pretty good, all things considered," he replied with a frown. "They're in bad shape, but the crew here insist they'll get them up and running again."

Fox could tell that Slippy needed a bit of cheering up. He was hiding something, that much was obvious. Whatever it was kept his spirits down and he didn't like noticing that. "Good to hear. With your help, I know that the Arwings will be in perfect shape, if not better, in only a matter of time."

Slippy nodded. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but there's a ton of work ahead of us." He noticed Cyrus walking up from behind Fox, and figured he might as well ask the questions on his mind before he got back to work. "How's Fara doing? And for that matter, how are you holding up?"

Now Fox turned into the one that needed the cheering as he grimaced at the thought of his teammate cooped up in the medical bay all alone. "I'll be fine. As for Fara… You remember the cylinder-shaped tubes in the medical center, right?" Slippy nodded. "They're regeneration tanks of sort, and she's in one right now. The medics say that she'll be fine though."

"Good. I'll visit her sometime later tonight." The toad raised his voice slightly as Cyrus walked into hearing range. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work. No rest for the weary." He turned to leave.

"Don't work too hard, Slip. And thanks."

"No problem. See you around."

Fox stood there and watched the engineers continue their work as Slippy joined them in their efforts to bring the damaged Arwings back to life. He ignored the footsteps of the approaching badger, lost in thought over how close things had come and how badly he had ruined his own craft in an attempt to save a life. But material things could almost always be repaired or replaced. A life could not.

Cyrus walked past Fox into his field of vision, noticing how he just stood there, staring into nothingness, tormented by his inner demons. He watched the vulpine, debating if he should say anything, wondering if he should break the silence. A few seconds later he did however, knowing that he had many other things to do before the night was over. "Evening, lad. 'Tis something I can help you with?"

Snapped back to the present from being spoken to, Fox looked over to the speaker and blinked his eyes a few times in shock. It took him a moment, but he composed himself, remembering what he was doing here. "Sorry about that," he said glumly, looking back to the Arwings. "How go the repairs?"

"Well, to be honest, I have some bad news, and I have even more bad news."

Fox sighed. "Great. How bad is it?"

"I'll tell you." Cyrus pulled a datapad from a belt pouch, going over the data it contained. "First, what little good news I have. The two undamaged Arwings have been completely repaired, Nova Bombs and all."

"That is good news," said Fox, relieved to hear what was said. At least they weren't utterly defenseless incase Andross decided to try a counterattack.

"Unfortunately, 'tis all downhill from there," he continued. "The worst part is that the two other Arwings suffered structural damage from an improperly controlled reentry and via the methods used to stop them here at the base."

Looking over the Arwings once more, Fox now understood why the internals of the craft were being taken out. "What's your best estimates on repairs?" he asked as he looked back. "And sorry about all of this."

Cyrus shook his head. "No need to apologize, lad, as your actions saved a life yesterday. And that can't be replaced. As for an ETA on the Arwings, best guess is a few days. I'll inform you as—"

The badger never got to finish his sentence as he was suddenly interrupted by the loudspeakers blaring overhead, the voice coming from it echoing off the stone walls. "Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately. I repeat, Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately."

The voice belonged to Devan, his tone not exactly indicating what was wrong. The vulpine made a good guess however, his ears drooping back as he thought of the patient currently under his care.

Something must have happened to Fara. 

Heart racing in panic, Fox ran to the nearest elevator. The entire engineering staff watched him with concern as he left, hoping for the best.

* * *

Fara awoke with a start, her peaceful and medicated rest interrupted by a nightmare of some sort, one that she quickly forgot as soon as she awakened. Little did she know at the time that her current situation was far worse, one that she couldn't escape from by simply waking up.

Her eyes still closed, and not knowing where she was yet, she just laid there, the last fragments of her dream fading away. She lifted up her arms, intending to rub her eyes, trying to make herself presentable for the rest of the day.

To say that she was shocked when her limbs refused her command was an understatement.

Thinking that maybe she was still asleep, she tugged at her arms again, switching to her legs when that failed. Quickly finding that her body failed to comply, she tried to sense what position her limbs were in, thinking that something might be holding her in place. It took her a few seconds, but she realized that she couldn't feel anything at all from the neck down, as if she was just a disjointed head floating in space.

Now she was panicking, her heart rate spiking in the process. At least she assumed it was anyway, as she couldn't feel that either. It was a horrible feeling, one filled with dread and so familiar, that she knew that this wasn't just a dream.

Fara's eyes snapped open and tried to find out where she was and why she couldn't move. Her head flopped from side to side, trying to take in as much visual information as possible, her addled mind attempting to recognize her location. Suddenly, Devan moved into her field of view, and at that point everything snapped into place.

What happened to her in the hours before her near death flooded clearly into her mind, invoking another wave of panic as she relived that span of time. She knew who she was looking at. She knew where she was.

She also knew why she couldn't move a muscle.

Irrational fear overwhelmed her conscious thought, the fear of being left alone in this horrible medical device, unable to move at all. The fact that she had already been through this once before only amplified that fear. She looked up at Devan, who seemed like he was going to say something to calm her down, when she did the only thing she could think of that explained her current displeasure. 

She screamed as loud as she could.

* * *

A few minutes earlier found Devan yawning at the lone desk in the main medical bay, trying to keep himself awake as he had a long shift ahead of him. He never really liked the night shift, as other than a few individuals complaining about something they shouldn't have eaten at the mess hall, or those who couldn't sleep, there was rarely much to do. He thought about lying down on the couch located in the side office, but he knew better, knowing that he had a patient to look over.

He thought back to when he and Zhen had extracted Fara out of her cockpit a day and a half ago and how poor shape the vixen had been in. While she hadn't been as injured as badly as she had been the last time she paid the medical bay a visit, she was far worse off due to having almost suffocated inside the confines of her Arwing. Thankfully the medications they used in reviving her had worked, but for a bit it almost seemed as if her body had resisted for reasons unknown.

Wishing that it would be a bit busier, as then he would have something to do other than sit and think, he thought back to when he had just graduated out of medical school a few years ago. Some days he wondered why he decided to go into the military, ending up on Corneria Base, instead of a civilian hospital, where at least he wouldn't have so many quiet moments. He didn't have long to reminisce however, as the datapad lying next to him suddenly sprung to life.

Picking it up, he took at look at the screen, finding out the reason for its activity immediately. It had detected increased respiration, heart rate, and brain activity in Fara, making it a likely sign that she was about to wake up. Standing up, knowing that based on prior experience she would need some personal comfort thanks to her being in the regeneration tanks, he was about to approach when he remembered that he had one thing to do first.

Quickly accessing the security system with his medical passwords, he got the computer to track down Fox's location, knowing that he had a promise to keep. It took a few seconds, but it finally found him, Devan putting on the nearby headset to talk to the staff there. "Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately. I repeat, Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately."

That objective finished, the hare walked over to Fara, looking over the datapad at her current condition. It read that while her heart rate and respiration had spiked, it was far from any dangerous levels. He hoped that he could keep her calm and relaxed, even though she was in something that she never wanted to experience again. He did not want to see a repeat of her prior performance.

He watched as her eyes suddenly popped open, her head spinning as she looked around the room in a near panic. Concerned, but thinking that he could still get the situation under control, he arrived at the regeneration tank, looking down at her face as it focused upon his own. Taking a breath, he was about to say something when he was rudely interrupted.

She spoke her mind very loudly and clearly by promptly screaming in his face.

Cursing mentally, knowing that he had just lost any chance at maintaining control, he reached into his pants pocket and pressed a button on the small pager he always carried. It was connected to a similar device that Zhen always had nearby, and it was considered a panic button of sorts, to contact their partner in an emergency.

And this was most definitely an emergency.

While he waited for backup to arrive, Devan tried once more to quiet Fara down. He knew that giving her any additional sleeping medication was right out, as they had already used that early in the treatment, making sure she got some sleep to start. So he had to keep her occupied mentally until his boss arrived, at which point they could discuss options.

And that task was going to be anything but easy.

Just when he was going to attempt another conversation, he was interrupted once more. "Let me out of here!" she yelled.

"Fara, look—"

It didn't seem like she was even listening. "Let me out!" she shrieked, putting great emphasis on each word as she attempted to control her fear. "Right now!"

Devan tried once more with his calm, soothing voice. "Fara, you know that you're in there for a reason. You need—"

"I don't care!" On the other hand, it seemed like she was paying attention to what was being said. She just didn't want to hear any of it. "I want out of this!"

"I can't do that Fara. I've paged Zhen, and you can—"

Tired of things not going her way, she simply screamed in frustration, moving her head from side to side as if she could break free somehow. Devan looked on sadly, hating to see her like this. If only the regeneration tanks weren't so efficient in their job, he wouldn't use such a barbaric device on anybody. For those who couldn't take the feeling of not being able to move, it was almost torture. Fara was the perfect example of that.

Thankfully at that moment he heard the sound of the glass doors between the waiting area and medical section separating, his exceptional hearing able to pick it up over his patient's screams. Looking up, he smiled as he saw Zhen approach, clad in a hastily donned medical outfit, her headfur a ruffled mess. It was clear that she was trying to sleep when she was paged. "Sorry about waking you like this, Zhen, but—"

"I completely understand." The panda winced as she listened to Fara's latest attempts to get the medics to free her. She wasn't quite as loud as she had been, her adrenaline and anger slowly draining, but it was extremely irritating to Zhen, who was already behind on her sleep from the previous days. She looked at a few figures on the display attached to the regeneration tank, then moved directly above her patient, making sure she had eye contact. "Ms. Phoenix, can we talk?"

"Let me out or put me back under!"

Zhen shook her head, not liking where this was going. She was tired and not in the mood to be her normal kind and courteous self. "Look, I'm going to be blunt. While I can't give you anything to put you back to sleep, I can give you something that'll silence that mouth of yours. Will you please remain civil?" 

It took no more than a moment of thought before Fara nodded briskly and quieted down. Tears began welling up in her eyes, the fear of losing what little freedom she still had left clearly visible on her face. "I don't care what I look like," she said softly after a few seconds, "I just want you to let me out." 

Looking at the tearful face, wishing that she wasn't as harsh as she just was on the pilot, Zhen sighed. She couldn't change what was said however, but she could attempt to correct her mistake. "I'm sorry, but for your sake I can't—" She was interrupted by the sound of the doors swishing open. Without looking up, she said quietly, "Devan, go take care of our visitor, please."

The hare smirked as he saw their latest guest. Leaning in close and trying to make sure that Fara didn't hear what he had to say, he announced the newcomer. "Zhen, it's Fox."

Despite Devan's best efforts, he had been overheard. "Fox!" yelled Fara as she ignored the request she had agreed to moments before. "Get me out of here!" 

Looking over at the vulpine, rubbing her temples in an attempt to stave off a migraine that was threatening to fire up, Zhen groaned softly. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Fox waited impatiently at the elevator doors on the engineering deck, pushing the call buttons rapidly as if that would make his transportation arrive faster. The seconds slowly ticked away, feeling like minutes to the worried vulpine. As he didn't know why he had been paged to the medical bay, despite his best efforts his mind kept running through worst case scenarios.

To say that he was on the edge mentally was an understatement.

With a quiet hiss, the doors in front of him parted, Fox squeezing inside the opening as soon as he could fit. Turning around, he jabbed the button for the floor he wanted, hitting the one to close the door right afterward. The elevator immediately responded, beginning its journey upward as soon as the doors hissed closed.

He stood there, mentally wishing the elevator would move faster. Unable to accomplish that, he stared at the floor numbers as they passed by, counting down the seconds before his arrival. Fortunately it was late enough in the day that there wasn't anybody else who was traveling his direction, as there was no telling what Fox would have done had he slowed down prematurely.

With a muted ding, he reached the sixth floor, the doors opening so he could exit. Waiting only long enough so he could slide on by, he charged down the carpeted corridor, passing by only a single person who turned and wondered why Fox was in such a hurry.

Fifteen seconds later found the vulpine outside the medical center. He took only a moment to catch his breath before he walked inside, moving straight to the glass doors leading to the next chamber, peering through them to see what was going on.

He couldn't see much, as the angle the door was set at somewhat blocked his goal, but he could see both Zhen and Devan looking down at what he assumed was Fara. Unable to see what they were doing, Fox just stood there, worried at what was going on. Neither of them looked anywhere else but at their patient, making him wonder if he should just walk in or not.

Making his choice as to what to do, he looked around and tried to figure out how he could get in. Noticing what looked to be something resembling the paw scanners located all over the base, he touched it, the console lighting up as it identified him. A few moments later it beeped an affirmative tone and the doors split open, allowing him entrance.

He nervously walked inside, still not knowing if he should even be there. As he quietly moved away from the door, allowing it to close behind him, Devan looked up suddenly, smirking as he recognized the visitor, and not at all upset or worried like he expected. That expression put him at ease somewhat, as it told him that he was summoned as a curtsey, not because he was up here for a medical reason of some sort.

Then everything quickly went downhill.

The hare put up a paw in Fox's direction, shaking his head gently, telling him to wait for just a moment by his motions. He leaned forward, whispering something into Zhen's ear. As he straightened back up, Fara suddenly yelled out for him in desperation, somehow knowing that he was there. "Fox! Get me out of here!"

In a panic the vulpine ran over, trying to find out what was wrong and what he could do to help. He was somewhat surprised to see Fara still in the exact same place that he left her earlier in the day, but after remembering the horror story she told him a few days back, he began to understand the fear in her voice. "What's wrong?" he asked gently, having a good feeling what answer he'd get.

His guess was correct. "What do you think?" she cried, visibly upset as tears sprang to her eyes. "They won't let me out of this thing!"

Zhen couldn't take any more of this. She looked at the tearful Fara and then moved her gaze to the confused and worried Fox. The last thing she needed after being sleep deprived was this. Taking a deep breath, calming herself down somewhat, she ordered, "Fox, Devan, side office. Now."

Fara sobbed quietly, her light brown fur darkening as it soaked up the tears. Her fears were happening to her again – being left alone in this awful and powerful piece of technology. Nobody wanted to leave her alone like this, Fox the first to say something about it. "But—"

The panda's powerful gaze was just as commanding, if not more so, than Pepper's ever was. "Now," she forcibly interrupted as she stared at Fox, as if daring him to defy her.

Thankfully for all of them, the vulpine followed the order without resisting. "I'll be right back, Fara," he said quietly as he reached out and patted her head in comfort. Surprisingly she accepted the touch, blinking a few times as she tried to stop her tears, a weak smile forming on her face. "I'm just going to have a small chat with the medics, and then I'll see what I can do." 

"Okay… Come back soon." She twisted her head, trying to follow the three as they walked off, but as the room was directly behind her position, she couldn't see where they went. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the horrible lack of feeling she was experiencing, cursing mentally at the device she was in the entire time.

* * *

Zhen dropped down into the lone comfortable chair with a huff, her paws going to her temples as she tried to massage the raging headache away. She closed her eyes and tried to block out everything that was going on around her this evening. This had been a horrible day in general so far, and she hoped that it wouldn't get any worse.

Fox remained standing, looking around the small room while he waited for an explanation as to why he had been pulled away from Fara, who was in dire need of comfort. Based on what little populated the office, it was basically designed for only one real reason – to relax and possibly sleep in-between patients. In addition to the recliner chair, there was a desk with yet another computer sitting on top, and a long couch that was large enough for one to lie down upon. The glass that was the entire wall that faced the main bay was specially tinted, giving the person inside some privacy while allowing full view of all the patients currently being cared for.

The hare leaned against the desk, his gaze following Fox's as they both watched the lone patient. After a few seconds, Devan looked Zhen's direction, noticing that she continued to remain quiet. Taking this as a sign that he needed to explain everything, he started off by saying, "Fox, let me fill—"

"No, Devan," interrupted Zhen softly as she finally opened her eyes. As much as she wanted her partner to explain the situation, especially after her bluntness earlier, she needed to do it herself. It was just bad form otherwise. "I have to say this."

"Understood."

Zhen took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. "First off, Fox, I'm going to be very straightforward with you tonight. I'm tired, I've hardly gotten any sleep in the last two days, and I'm simply not in the mood to deal with another experience like this tonight. So if I sound a bit harsh, that's why."

As Fox nodded, still watching Fara outside, Devan suddenly jumped in. "Zhen, I shouldn't have paged—"

"No, you did the right thing. You're not trained yet to handle these situations properly, so your choice was the correct one." She sighed. "What little good it did anyway in the end."

The vulpine looked over the two, tired of listening to them chat back and forth. He was here for answers, and he wasn't getting any right now. Sensing a quiet moment, he asked, "What's going on out there? Why won't you let Fara out of that thing?"

"Let me answer that," said Zhen ash she prepared herself for another speech. "Fara, as you already know, is deathly afraid of our regeneration tanks, despite their powerful healing capabilities. Last time she was in it, due to circumstances beyond our control, she was completely alone in there when she woke up from the sleeping medication. Our best guess was two, maybe three hours. Needless to say…"

"No wonder," said Fox softly. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in Fara's position. He just hoped he never had to find out.

Zhen nodded. "To answer your next question, we can't let her out as she's in the final part of the regeneration cycle. It would cause severe harm to her if she was let out right now." 

Devan chimed in with his thoughts. "And as to your unasked question of why we can't put her under again, it's a simple answer – we can't. In layman's terms, one's metabolism is greatly increased while inside the tanks, speeding up the rate of healing tremendously. Medications to put her to sleep again will counter that action, causing a longer overall healing time." 

Fox simply stood there, absorbing the information as he continued to watch Fara. It looked like she was sobbing again, but he couldn't tell exactly from where he was. "So, what are we going to do?"

The panda's tone switched to her bossy one again. "You and I are going to bed. Devan will handle the situation, making sure that she'll be okay. She'll be out by morning."

His gaze shifted suddenly towards Zhen as he spoke his mind, not pleased to hear what she had just said. "Now wait just a minute—"

"No," she interrupted, her anger growing as she stared at Fox. "As your doctor, I'm ordering you back to your room for a peaceful night's sleep. You pushed yourself beyond your limits yesterday, and it's only going to hurt you and your team in the long run."

Fox was furious. He couldn't believe what he had just been told. He growled and refused to back down without a fight as he knew what he was doing was right. "As Fara's commander and friend, I'm telling you and your orders to shove off. I am staying with Fara tonight to ensure she gets some worry-free rest, and you can't stop me."

Devan looked back and forth between the pair, wondering who was going to win this verbal fight. While her boss had the power to keep Fox away from Fara, it was something that he'd never seen her enforce. As he thought back through his years of service, he realized that she'd never used her medical powers before – the person on the receiving end of her wrath had always complied in the end. Sensing that neither side was going to back down, he tried to interfere. "Zhen, Fox, please keep—"

The hare quieted as Zhen simply glanced his way, looking upset that he had opened his mouth for no reason. Her gaze drifted back to Fox as she stared into his eyes, trying to read what the vulpine was thinking. She could see the anger in his look, the determination in his face. Trying her best to ignore the now pounding headache, displeased that her usual methods of getting rid of it had failed, she decided to simply let him win this fight. "Fine, Fox, you win. However, don't you dare come back to me when you fall apart from the strain." She promptly stood up and stomped out of the room.

The pair watched as she left, passing through the medical bay with nothing more than a quick glance at her patient. Fox noticed that Fara tried to start a conversation as she passed, but she was ignored. She looked around desperately and tried to figure out where the others went, as he asked Devan, "So, any suggestions?"

"Other than to just stay with her, no. I'll find you a comfortable chair."

"Thanks."

Fox got as far as putting his paw on the door when the hare stopped him momentarily. "Fox, one second."

He glanced over his shoulder, tired of the interruptions. He just wanted to spend time with Fara. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry about Zhen's actions back there. She hasn't gotten much sleep lately, and unfortunately it shows. You two haven't been the best of patients while you were conked out, and to say that it's messed up our sleep schedules is an understatement."

While it wasn't exactly the explanation he wanted, he knew he wasn't going to get a better one. "Apology accepted," said Fox, looking at Fara. She was sobbing again, unable to find out what happened to the other two who had entered the side office. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Go right ahead." 

Glad to finally get the chance to leave, Fox left, going straight to his unhappy teammate. He knew he had a long night ahead of him, but he didn't care, as it simply was the right thing to do.

* * *

Fara meanwhile had tried her hardest to relax while the others had talked privately, but it was nearly impossible. She was utterly defenseless lying there, and it pushed her already frayed nerves to their limits. Every little noise she heard sent her eyes shooting open again, her head spinning around trying to track the source. But she could never find whatever she heard.

She hated being here. She just wanted it all to end, as her overtaxed mind was starting to drive her crazy, as it saw and heard things that simply weren't there.

Suddenly she heard the door open up behind her. Ecstatic at getting some company again, she watched as Zhen came into her field of view. Not seeing or hearing anyone else, she quickly grew worried as to where the others were. "Zhen, where's Fox?" she asked as she tried to quell her fear.

The panda only turned briefly in her direction, grumbling something she couldn't hear under her breath before stomping off, pausing only long enough for the door leading out to open up.

In shock over the lack of attention, Fara just lay there, trying to hear any sign that the others were coming. But there wasn't any. Her mind began to run through worst-case scenarios, too exhausted to think of a more logical reason as to their absence. It took only a few seconds before she started crying once more, worried that some sort of harm had come to the others, thinking that's why they hadn't come out yet.

She was so distracted by her fears that she didn't hear the door to the side office open half a minute later, and with her eyes full of tears she didn't notice Fox approach her. She was too wrapped up in her emotions, her fears controlling her mind, not allowing for the far more simple answer to take rein over her.

At least until Fox said something anyway. "Fara, it's okay. I'm here for you."

She looked up and blinked her tears away best she could, a smile appearing on her sad face. "Oh, Fox," she sputtered, overjoyed to see the vulpine. She sounded hopeful as she quietly continued. "Can you get me out of this?"

Fox put on a weak smile, not knowing how she well she would take the answer. "I'm sorry, Fara, but I can't." She was clearly upset as she turned away from him upon hearing this. "However, I'll do the next best thing for you – I'll stay with you for the rest of the night. I'll make sure you aren't left here alone."

She turned back around, new tears visible on her already soaked face, looking almost embarrassed to be in this position. "You…you don't need to…"

The vulpine shook his head, silencing Fara with his motions. "The Starfox team always helps each other out in times of need." He smiled. "You're one of us now, and you always will be."

Quieting down, she just lay there, stunned to hear what Fox had said. Their green eyes met, hers searching for the honesty of what was said, his expressing nothing but kindness and sorrow for her current situation. It took her a minute, but she finally relaxed and smiled back, a large portion of her fears draining away, at least for the moment. "Thank you," she said, still not quite able to believe what she had heard.

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do."

As the pilots simply stared in silence at each other, not knowing what else should be said, they found their peaceful moment ruined by the sound of a door opening. Turning, Fox watched as Devan entered, carrying a comfortable looking chair from the visitor's lounge. Neither of them had noticed the hare leaving as preoccupied as they were earlier. "Hey, Devan," he said as he debated if he should go over and help, knowing that he would have to leave Fara's side to do so. "Need some help?"

"No, I got it." He dragged the chair over and placed it near the vulpine. "There you go."

"Thanks." Moving his seat into position, Fox dropped into it with a groan. Even though he'd spent most of the day sleeping, he still felt tired, and he couldn't figure out why. Having no idea what to do next, he happened to glance at Fara's tear soaked face, the fur matted and discolored in multiple places. Deciding to do something about it, he spun around in his chair and was surprised to still see Devan standing right behind him. "Can I have a—"

The hare broke out into a grin as he lifted up a dry washcloth into Fox's field of view. "Will this do?"

"That it will." He was about to turn back around when he asked half-jokingly, "Is there anything else you have that I might need that I haven't asked you for?"

"Sorry, but alas, my paws are empty. If you'll excuse me…"

"Go right ahead. Thanks." Devan nodded in appreciation before he turned and walked back to his desk. Looking at Fara once more, Fox showed her the washcloth. "Mind if I dry you off?" he asked gently, not sure what her reaction would be. "That look doesn't befit you at all."

Fara looked surprised to hear this, a flood of emotions washing over her. She looked at him, trying to judge his true intentions. It took a few seconds, but she suddenly realized that she didn't care if he was sincere or not. All she knew was that she had come to understand why she had all these thoughts about the vulpine next to her – there was something special about him, something she wanted to be part of.

She just didn't know if it was wise to think about a friendship like this in the middle of a war.

"Sure," she finally said, noticing the lingering worry in Fox's eyes, not sure if he was going to be rejected or not. "Thanks."

He nodded silently, pleased that he was allowed to do this. Without saying another word he began patting her face dry, Fara closing her eyes and continuing to smile in appreciation. She couldn't remember the last time that someone was this kind and caring towards her, so she appreciated the attention, even though it was rather unexpected.

It didn't take long to dry her off, so Fox switched to combing through her headfur with his fingers, avoiding the charred spots best he could. She almost purred with appreciation, not being used to this kind of close contact. He smiled inwardly, feeling the soft, almost silky fur pass between his fingers. He thought about the condition of his own fur, about how he hadn't given it the time and attention it needed in the last few days. Hers felt like she had brushed through it daily instead of his wiry and coarse own.

Fara on the other hand couldn't believe the vulpine was doing this to her. While she had noticed the occasional glances that he had given her in the past few days, she never expected it to turn out like this. She thought that Fox would be like your average fighter jock when she first paid close attention to him – curt, harsh, and uncaring. But he was anything but, much to her surprise and satisfaction.

A few minutes later Fox paused, looking over his grooming work. While it wasn't as good as the vixen normally looked, it was a drastic improvement to her previous tear-soaked face. Going any further would require the tools and goods she normally used, and he had neither. As far as he was concerned though, it looked better than it did before, and that's all that mattered to him.

As he continued to watch, Fara's eyes slowly opened, her green irises almost glittering from the recent attention. Their gaze locked, both of them perfectly happy just looking at each other. She broke the silence a few seconds later by quietly asking, "How do I look?"

He smiled and took a long look at her gorgeous face. Unfortunately for both of them, Fox thought that no matter what his feelings towards her were, it was a love that simply couldn't happen. He was nothing more than a simple fighter pilot, albeit a rather good gone, and she was the daughter of one of the more prominent people on the planet. Her father would never agree to them getting together, and she deserved better as far as he was concerned. "You look beautiful," he said, trying to get his mind to switch back to a happier subject.

"Thanks," she said as she turned away for a moment in embarrassment, not quite sure how to respond. Instead she stayed quiet once more, looking over Fox's face, absorbing all the fine details she hadn't noticed before. Details like how the white fur around his mouth and cheeks blended in with the light brown fur along the rest of it, and how his green military shirt matched so perfectly with his eyes, as well as with his fur in general.

Looking quite confused as to why he was getting so much attention all of a sudden, Fox tried to get another conversation going. "So, Fara, you need anything? Something else I can do for you?"

She thought for a few seconds before responding, her mind going over a multitude of possibilities. "No, not really," she replied eventually.

Finding a digital clock upon one wall, he read off the time. "Well, it's just a bit past 8pm, and since the medics told me that they'll let you out in the morning, getting some sleep will—"

"No!" exclaimed Fara suddenly, shocking him into silence. The noise caught Devan's attention, prompting him to stand up from behind his desk and see if everything was okay. Fox waved him back down as soon as he noticed this, giving the vixen a chance to continue. "No…I don't want to sleep. I…I'd like to talk for now."

He reached up and gently stroked her headfur, trying to calm her down. "Fara, I'm not going anywhere. I promise you—"

"No," she interrupted once again, much more calmly this time. She thought back to the last time she was inside the regeneration tanks, about how she woke up completely alone. She did not want to take the chance of that happening again, even if she stayed up all night. "I just want to talk for now."

Fox caved in and readied himself a long night. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well…" It took her a bit, but she finally decided upon a topic, and from there a discussion was born. It wasn't much to start, nothing but a way to keep her mind occupied, but it began to branch off onto other topics. As time passed, it changed to a discussion about Fox's time on Papetoon and some of his more interesting missions. The vulpine complied with her requests, thinking nothing of them short of keeping Fara entertained.

She did have an ulterior motive, but it was nothing more than learning about Fox's past. She was surprised he was so open to him, but she figured that her current position and simple sounding request caused most of it.

Their talk was a continuous one for the most part, interrupted early on by the rest of the team stopping by for a visit. They didn't stay around for long, noticing that Fox had the situation well under control, but they did voice their concerns and wishes of well-being. Peppy was thoughtful enough to bring a bite to eat, allowing the vulpine to have something to snack on in-between sentences.

After the team left, leaving the pair relatively alone, they continued their talk. As the night wore on, Fox doing his best to keep from nodding off, Devan walked up behind him and touched him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention, startling him for a moment. "I'm going to turn myself in and try to catch up on some missed sleep."

"And if we need you?" asked Fara nervously, quickly growing worried.

The hare smiled wearily, trying to ease her concern. "Don't worry, I was getting to that. See the red button," he gestured, making it clear what he was indicating, "on the wall there? Push it to wake the occupant inside the spare room. Hit it if you need anything, or if we have any additional visitors who need attention."

"And if it doesn't work?" asked Fox, making sure he covered any eventuality.

"I'm more than likely dead," he replied with a smirk. "You haven't heard the alarm like I have. However, on the desk here," he twisted, pointing out the item in question once more, "are two buttons to alert the pagers we always carry. You can get Zhen that way if you need to."

Thankfully that calmed down Fara's nerves, knowing that the medics were close by if needed. "Sounds good. Don't sleep too long though, as I want out of this thing first thing in the morning."

"I'll do what I can, but Zhen has the final word, not I. While I don't foresee any problems, things have been known to come up. Anything else?"

Fara shook her head, as Fox said, "No, I think you covered everything. Enjoy your sleep."

"Don't worry, I will." Devan yawned suddenly as he turned to leave, prompting him to say one last thing. "You two get some sleep as well, okay? It'll make the time go by faster."

The two vulpines looked at each other silently as the medic walked off, the door swishing shut behind him as he entered the side office. It didn't take long before Fara spoke up once more, not liking the quiet, asking Fox to entertain her with more stories from when he was on Papetoon. After sitting silent for a moment in remembrance over the story he was about to tell, he started his tale of his most difficult mission, one that could have gone far better than it had.

It took an hour and a half to go through his adventure, as he was taking questions at every opportunity, but in the end he found it had the effect he hoped it would cause – Fara was drifting off to sleep. It was a subtle change, but a noticeable one, as she began to ask fewer questions and her eyes spent more time closed than open. When he finally finished, Fox sat there quietly and listened to her breathing. It was slow and steady, indicating that she was asleep.

Slumping back in his chair and proud of his accomplishment, Fox debated on what he should do next. Crossing his arms as he looked at the nearby clock, he realized that he still had many an hour to go until morning. Dropping his head, he decided to rest his eyes for a minute, knowing that he had to stay awake the rest of the night in the off chance that Fara woke up before morning. 

Instead, his overworked body went back to its usual sleep cycle, the vulpine dropping off into a dreamless sleep, his last thoughts on Fara and how they would never be more than just friends. 


	35. The Aftermath

Sorry for the delayed update, but I simply haven't had the time necessary to get my latest works uploaded. So, for those few of you who actually read this blurb, it's time for another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 35: The Aftermath**

_Oh Fara…if only circumstances were different. But you deserve better… _- Fox 

Many an hour later Fara awoke with a start once more, but unlike last time, she knew exactly where she was. Swiveling her head in momentary panic, she hoped against hope that Fox was still there. Much to her surprise he was, a tired look in his eyes as he simply sat there looking at her.

Little did she know that he had woken up only minutes earlier, and was trying to shake off the aftereffects of sleep himself.

"Good morning, Fara," he said, trying his best to keep from yawning. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," she responded after a few seconds. "Have you been…" She quieted, feeling bad for asking the question in the first place.

He smiled, feeling sorry for the vixen. "I've been here all night. It's been a quiet one as well." At least he assumed the last part was correct anyway. He was generally a light sleeper, so if anybody did come by, he should have woken up. It sounded good to her ears though, even if it wasn't entirely the truth.

"Oh Fox…" She lay there stunned, not sure what to say, and looked up into his face. "You didn't—"

"Yes I did," he interrupted. "As I've said before, Fara, you're part of the team now, and always will be. It was the least I could do."

She sighed, amazed that he had stayed up all night for her. Nobody would have done something like that for her. Nobody. Her mind in turmoil, thinking back to what happened last night, she said the first thing that came to mind. "What time is it?"

Fox leaned forward and blinked as his tired eyes adjusted to distance viewing. "Well, the clock says it's a few minutes after 7am."

At that moment, the door to the side office opened. It revealed Devan with a giant yawn plastered upon his face, stretching as he prepared to get back to work. "Morning, you two. Did I miss anything?"

"Not at all," replied Fox. "Have you been asleep the entire time in there?"

"Me? Oh gosh no." He laughed as he walked over to the terminal and powered it up with a few keystrokes. "Zhen would have my head if I slept through my entire shift without doing anything. I've been working in the office for the last few hours, actually. I didn't want to risk waking Fara by coming out, so…"

"Thanks," said the vixen, grateful that she hadn't been woken up. It was bad enough being where she was asleep as far as she was concerned, much less awake. "Along the same lines, can you let me out of this?"

Devan shook his head sadly. "As I told you last night, I simply don't have the authority." He walked over to where she lay as he continued. "However, I can take a look at you and see how your healing has progressed. It'll get you out of there quicker at least."

She nodded, eager to do anything so that she could get free sooner. "Please do."

He took a look at the monitor attached to the side of the regeneration tank, a visual representation of her body slowly scrolling down the screen. It paused at points, showing how well the healing had progressed on the burnt and damaged fur. Fox stood up and was about to approach to take a look himself when the hare stopped him. "Sorry, Fox, medical personnel only."

"What's wrong?" asked Fara, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing's wrong," said Devan, powering down the screen, pleased with the results. "As far as this shows, you're as good as new. But as to why I can't show this to anyone else, let's just say that it's a tad revealing."

She blushed, or at least blushed as much as one could through a thick layer of fur. Fox noticed the discomfort on her face and decided to ruffle her headfur in response. "But you're okay, Fara. That's all that counts."

"Yeah."

The hare smiled as he walked back to the terminal sitting on the lone desk. "Contrary to what you think however, the software prohibits me from looking at certain things. So your modesty is perfectly safe."

Fox looked like he was going to make a joke, but after a glance at Fara's expression, he decided otherwise. Instead, he looked over to Devan as he asked, "Any guess as to when Zhen will be in?"

The medic shook his head. "Zhen comes in of her own accord, not on any set schedule. She'll be here sometime in the morning though."

"Okay." After taking a moment to stretch, Fox moved his seat back into position next to Fara and sat down once more. He hoped the wait wasn't too long, as there were a few natural things he needed to take care of. But he didn't want to leave the vixen's side, even for a moment, to do them. Instead, he looked at her and said, "So, what do you want to talk about next?"

She closed her eyes, deep in thought. With Fox right next to her, she was no longer afraid of her situation. She couldn't explain it though, making her wonder if she simply trusted the vulpine, or if there was something deeper running between them.

"Are you okay, Fara?" asked Fox, concerned over the silence.

"I'm fine," she replied, looking over at the worried pilot. She didn't have any further time to think as the doors leading out suddenly opened. Unable to see who it was from her angle, she hoped for the best as she asked, "Who's that?"

A quick glance over his shoulder answered the question. He stood up and turned towards the visitor as he responded. "It's Zhen."

Fara visibly brightened when she heard this, hopeful that she could finally end her time in captivity. "Thank goodness."

The two medics spent only a moment saying their greetings, the panda hardly pausing as she continued to her destination. Fox was about to say something as she approached, but he was silenced as she raised a paw and shook her head. "About last night," she started as she blinked her eyes tiredly, "I'm sorry. I let my anger overrule my judgment, endangering both of you and the quality of your medical care."

"That's an understatement," muttered Fara quietly, but more than loud enough for everyone to hear in the silent room.

Fox winced as he heard this, even though it was basically the truth. "Fara…" he said, looking at her once more.

"She has every right to say that, Fox," said Zhen as she reached the regeneration tank and walked around to where the screen was. "She should be angry, as should you."

"Damn right I am," said the vixen, closing her eyes as if ending the discussion.

Looking over the two females, Fox simply shook his head. While he knew that both of them were correct in what they were saying, he simply didn't want to get involved. "How does she look?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Zhen tapped through the screens and looked through the data, keeping quiet as she did so. She finished half a minute later, powering down the monitor with a flourish. Looking as pleased as Devan did earlier, she said, "Once again, Cornerian medical technology shines through. All injuries have been fully healed, and the fur around the damaged areas has regrown properly. You're free to go."

"About time," said Fara angrily, the growing smile on her face betraying her true feelings. While she still held a grudge, she was just pleased she was finally going to get out of there.

"Good to hear," said the vulpine. He stood there and wondered what going to happen next, quickly noticing all eyes in the room suddenly converge upon him. "What?"

Devan laughed as he stood up from behind the desk and walked over to Fox. "I think the proper term here is called privacy. Let's step out for a bit."

As he was being led out, Fox turned to take one last look at Fara. Their eyes locked, he not knowing if he should leave her, while she didn't want to see him go. "I'll be fine," she said upon noticing his worry. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Okay. See you then."

As the sliding glass door closed behind the males, Fox watched as a thick curtain dropped around the two regeneration tanks and hid the others from view. The hare interrupted his thoughts as he finally turned away. "You're one lucky guy there, Fox."

He looked over, a confused look on his face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Devan was taken back, as he was sure about them being a perfect pair. He quickly adjusted what he was going to say. "Well, nothing really, short of how you have such a cute teammate there." At the silence he was getting he continued. "Almost makes me wish I was a vulpine myself."

Fox didn't know quite what to say in response. While he knew he had feelings for Fara, it wasn't something he wanted to readily admit. Not only was there the war to worry about, but deep down he knew that she deserved far better than what he could offer in return. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to say. "Yes, that she is," he finally said as he turned to leave. "If you'll excuse me."

"Sure." As the vulpine left, Devan looked on, shocked at what he had just seen. He would have easily bet a large chunk of his salary on the pair getting together. At a loss as to what he should do about it, he looked around, deciding to clean up the waiting area while he waited for the females to finish up in the other room.

* * *

His mind a jumbled mess after his latest conversation, Fox walked the short distance to his room and thought over what had been said. He was surprised that his feelings for Fara were so apparently obvious to anyone who looked at them both, even though he had no intention on following up on them himself. As far as he was concerned, she deserved better than anything he could provide. 

After taking a quick break inside, he stood out in the hallway, writing a mental list as to the things he needed to do today. He didn't get far however, as he was interrupted by a rumbling of his stomach, a reminder as to just how long it was since he last had a proper meal. Wasting no further time, he decided to once again follow his instincts.

Entering the mess hall and quickly gathering a meal covering the basics, he looked around for a seat. To his surprise he found the rest of his team already sitting down, as if they were waiting for him the entire time. Pulling up a seat himself, he said his greetings and dug into his meal without another word.

Noticing how he ravishingly dug into his breakfast, his team kept quiet as he ate, waiting until he was finished before they said anything. Fox was grateful for the silence, as he wasn't exactly in the mood to talk anyway.

But talk they finally did as he finished up and pushed his empty plate away from him. Peppy was the first to speak as he put down the datapad he had in one paw. "So, Fox, how did things go last night?"

The vulpine sighed, knowing that he was going to be questioned about this. He wasn't exactly in the mood to give out answers either. "It went well all things considered."

Peppy could clearly see the hesitation in his answer. He wondered why as he continued, trying to get a more definite answer. "How's Fara doing?"

"She's fine. The medics released her a few minutes ago, actually."

The team's spirits visibly rose upon hearing that, as they were all worried about her condition. "Good to hear," said Slippy as he joined in on the conversation. "I was worried."

"As were we all," said Peppy.

"Thankfully, she'll be okay. It was a most interesting night though."

"What did you two do?" asked Falco, finally deciding to say something.

Fox had a confused look on his face. "Huh?"

The avian grinned. "You know what I mean. You and Fara."

His confusion quickly turned to anger. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Peppy was in the middle of a drink as otherwise he would have stopped this conversation, as he could clearly see where it was going. "I've seen the looks you've given her in the last few days," said Falco, now smiling slyly. "You two alone with each other would be the—"

"You insolent, pig-headed fool!" roared Fox as he jumped to his feet, his chair tumbling to the floor in the process. "All I did was help a teammate in need! What you think of my personal life is none of your damned business!" He turned and stomped off, ignoring the gaping onlookers from the tables around him.

"What did I say?" asked Falco as the mess hall returned to order.

Peppy looked over, trying to determine if the avian was actually honest in his question, or if he was just as senseless as he looked. He eventually came to the conclusion of the latter. "Do you have any tact at all in that head of yours?" he asked, shaking his head.

Before a response could be heard, Slippy added in his own rude thoughts. "In other words, you're an idiot."

Falco stood up and moved to strangle the offending voice. Peppy raised a paw, his feathered teammate surprisingly coming to a stop as he listened to what was said. "Falco, sit down. Slippy, quiet, as you aren't helping one bit."

"Why should—"

"Sit down," he commanded. The hare sighed as his orders were followed, knowing that even with his air of authority, he wouldn't be listened to for long. "Seriously, Falco, you know better than that. What's cardinal rule number four?"

His head turned, staring in disgust at being in this position. "What's your point?"

"My point is simple. Rule number four, as you've obviously forgotten, is that what we do in our personal lives is our own business, and nobody else's." He paused, remembering why Fox had used that as one of his ground rules back on Papetoon. With their lack of privacy, it was determined that each other's rooms were off limits – thus having some peace of mind in allowing the four of them to get away from each other.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Falco, already tired of being reprimanded. "But what's up with him about Fara?"

"That, my friend, is a good question." Peppy looked around, glad to see that that those who were in the mess hall had finally decided to go back to their business, talking softly to those nearby, ignoring the pilots in the process. "Why don't we just leave him alone for the time being. This'll all sort itself out in the end. Let's just give Fox some time to explain it himself, okay?" 

"Deal."

* * *

Completely disgusted by Falco's conversation, Fox stormed out, wanting nothing more than to simply run off and get away from everybody. A few passers-by stared at him in surprise, but he didn't care about what others thought of him at that moment. All he wanted to be was alone.

And short of his room, he knew of only one place where he could get some peace and be allowed to relax.

The door to the botanical gardens opened up for him a few minutes later, his anger starting to drain away as soon as he entered. Taking only a moment to look out into the morning sky, he worked his way to the giant tree in the center, the one that he remembered to be Fara's favorite as well. He sat down upon the soft grass and leaned against the tree, feeling the rough bark press against his fur.

He closed his eyes and relaxed, letting the calming sounds and soothing smells fill his thoughts. As he sat there, he thought back to the events that transpired earlier in the day, trying to figure out what had upset him so much. It didn't take long before reminders of Falco's arrogant attitude filtered through his mind, in addition to how sure Devan was with his beliefs of them getting together.

But why did it anger him so? The avian acting like he did was nothing new to him, even though it still irritated him just the same. He also didn't know enough about the medic to know if what he saw was an indication of how he generally was around people.

As he continued to think, his mind focused on what was ultimately the problem – Fara. It seemed that the general populace of the base had them pegged together, even though he ultimately didn't want anything to do with her as far as a personal relationship went. The only problem was that he couldn't figure out why he felt that way.

He opened his eyes as his thoughts continued to swirl through his mind, trying to figure out why. Glancing around the garden, his gaze happened to fall upon a small bright red bird, hopping around on the ground only a few feet away from him. Carefully, he put out a paw and tried to see if he could coax the animal closer to him.

The creature looked at his light brown paw, tilting its head sideways in thought. Fox guessed that it was trying to determine if it was looking at food or not. It advanced wearily, restricting its hops to make sure it didn't come too close. Stopping about a foot away, it suddenly let out a few chirps of either surprise or agitation and promptly opened its wings, launching itself into the air.

The vulpine watched sadly as it flew out of sight, almost wishing that he could join it in its travels, even though its freedom was restricted to just the garden. Closing his eyes once more, he returned to his thoughts, trying to formulate an answer to his original question.

Time passed, Fox drifting in and out of sleep as his tired body rebelled against the lack of a decent sleep the previous day. As he slept, he dreamed, his unconscious mind still attempting to track down an answer. In the middle of one dream, he began to toss and turn, having more of a nightmare than a peaceful rest.

He was reliving the death of his mother once again.

With a gasp, he jolted awake, trying desperately to clear his mind of the horrible memories. As he looked around, trying to focus his gaze upon something that would invoke far happier images, he suddenly came upon the conclusion he'd been searching for. And he had his latest dream to thank oddly enough.

James McCloud had not only been an excellent pilot in his days, but an outstanding marksman as well. Because of this and his discreet ways of doing things, he'd been called upon for a few unorthodox missions over the years, ones that would have been more suited to someone who'd worked in a special operations group, or possibly a commando.

Thankfully, Corneria, and the surrounding planets in the system, had a low crime rate, as otherwise he would have been called upon far more often than he had. As it was, he'd looked upon it as supplementary income for his family, as being in the military wasn't a very well paying job, as it was never needed. At least until now, anyway.

As a result, he'd made a few enemies in the process. To Fox's knowledge, it had never amounted to anything more than idle threats. The family as a whole was a bit more guarded of their surroundings, and one of his parents was always around him when he was younger, but other than that nothing had ever come from it.

Until the day that Vixy died.

Now he understood why he felt how he did towards Fara and why he didn't want to advance further with her as far as a relationship went.

It wasn't the war holding him back. It was how he knew that him winning the war would create permanent enemies across the system from those who wanted Andross to come out on top. And he simply didn't want the vixen to end up like his mother did.

But he couldn't let her out of his sight either. An attempt had already been made on her life, her freedom, so it was very possible that somebody else would try again. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let that happen.

He just didn't know what he should do about her as far as his thoughts went in the meantime.

The vulpine stretched as he stood up and broke out into a huge yawn in the process. He turned towards the giant windows letting in the sunshine and tried to judge how long he'd been sitting there, eventually guessing that it was sometime around noon or so. A slight rumble from his stomach seemed to confirm this as well.

Collecting his thoughts and brushing off some of the dirt that he'd accumulated, he was about to leave when he heard the lone entryway slide open and closed. Curious as to the newcomer, he looked over, a smile coming to his face as he recognized whom it was.

"Afternoon, Fox," said Fara cheerfully as she spotted the vulpine and walked over to where he stood.

"Hey, Fara," he responded, noticing rather quickly that she wasn't dressed in anything resembling her usual flight garb. Instead, she had ditched her uniform for a purple sleeveless shirt and shorts. He ignored her new look as best he could, even though it left little to the imagination, as he continued. "How are you feeling?"

She spun around and smiled as her fur rippled from her movements. She had taken the time necessary to comb through her coat, and as a result it almost shimmered in the afternoon light. "As good as new thanks to your help."

He shook his head, still believing what he told her earlier. "As I've told you before, it was nothing that—"

She playfully poked him in the chest a few times as she didn't believe that line at all. "Don't give me that, you silly." Noticing Fox's wandering eyes as he tried to counter her statement, she figured that she might as well explain her unusual choice of clothing. "Curious as to my outfit?" she asked with a grin.

His gaze snapped upward as he replied, trying to hide his looks. "What you wear in your off time is none of my concern. It is unlike you however from what I've seen."

She nodded. "The medics told me to keep myself uncovered as much as possible for the next few days, to make sure that nothing interfered with the last of the healing process. My fur is still tender in a few spots."

"Ah," he said, as if that explained everything on his mind. "Thankfully nobody is going to be flying for a few days, so you have nothing to worry about."

She sighed suddenly, her good mood vanishing as she continued. "Actually…I wanted to talk to you about that. You have a minute?"

Fox grew concerned, wondering what was on her mind. "I always have time for my teammates. What's up?"

She seemed to look everywhere but at him, as if she was afraid of what she was going to say. "It's…about the team."

"What's wrong?"

"I…I…" She stuttered to a stop, unable to continue.

He didn't like where this conversation was going at all. "Fara, if something's wrong between you and the group, I can easily talk to them. And if that isn't the problem, don't worry, you can tell me. I won't be offended."

Her sad eyes finally came to a rest upon his own. "I…I want off the team."

"What?!"

She repeated what she said, this time with more assurance of what she wanted to do. "I want off the team."

"Why?"

"I'm no good, Fox, incase you haven't noticed."

"That's a bunch of bull and you know it."

She began to grow upset as she didn't want to explain herself, unable to believe that he couldn't see it her way. "I've blown up an Arwing and almost wrecked another!"

"Neither of which were your fault," he quickly countered.

"I'm a threat and a danger to you and your mission, and I put you at risk every time I fly with you guys!"

"No you don't. You're an excellent pilot, and I'm proud to have you on my team."

Her anger was near the boiling point as she simply couldn't understand why the vulpine continued to disagree with her. "Why do you need me then?"

"Because we're behind the times as far as the system itself goes, and only you have that knowledge. And contrary to what you think, you're an outstanding—" Tired of how she wasn't getting anywhere in this conversation, Fara suddenly leaned forward and slapped Fox as hard as she could.

The vulpine stood there, utterly stunned at what she had just done. Refusing to degenerate to her level, he calmly lifted a paw to his face and smoothed the fur back to how it was. "Why did you do that?"

"You won't let me off the team!"

"Fara…listen to yourself. It's clear that you're not thinking—"

Frustrated by how she wasn't getting her way, she proceeded to slap him once more. This time around however, Fox was waiting for her. In one smooth motion, he grabbed her paw just inches from his face. "Please don't," he said quietly.

Instead, she brought her other paw around and followed the same maneuver as the first. It was caught just as easily before it made impact. Eyes widening in shock, she strained to pull free. "Let go!"

"Not until you calm down. I don't want to get hit again."

She continued to struggle, but Fox was simply too strong for her. "Let me go!"

"Can I talk to the calm and collective teammate I was speaking with a few minutes ago? Or the same one as last night? Please?"

She simply yelled in frustration.

Shaking his head sadly, he gave up on any chance of having a decent conversation. He just hoped that she would explain herself later. Waiting no longer, he let go of Fara's paws, the vixen almost tumbling to the ground from the sudden release. In response, she simply turned and stalked off without saying a word.

Fox watched as she left, wishing that she would at least attempt to explain her irrational behavior, or possibly apologize. In the end however, he got neither. "Why is nothing ever easy?" he silently asked the garden around him.

He dropped to the ground with a huff, ignoring another rumble from his stomach, as he attempted to figure out just what went wrong.


	36. Time After Time

For reasons I can't exactly explain, I really don't like this chapter all that much. But after looking over it more times than I care to admit, I've come to the conclusion that there isn't much I can do about it, short of taking it a completely different angle and making you, the reader, wait longer to read another chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 36: Time After Time**

_What an insolent, moronic, stupid, idiot! How can Fox simply not see that I'm not good enough for his team? I've almost ruined two Arwings, and even then he can't see my incompetence?_ – Fara 

The next two days for the Starfox team went far more poorly than usual. It became very clear to the others that Fox and Fara tried their hardest to avoid each other, the pair going as far as turning around or simply leaving if they ran into the other in the more common places in the base. Neither offered any explanations to the others, much to the dismay of the rest of the team.

The team did try their best to pry, however, but any questions as to what happened were quickly diverted by both Peppy and Fox. The vulpine didn't want to say anything, even to the team's so-called counselor, which struck them all as unusual, and Peppy didn't want to push the issue just yet. In another oddity, Fara did her best to keep completely away from rest of the group, just so the opportunity to speak to her about the incident never came up.

When the third day rolled around after the team's last battle in space, everyone was relieved to hear that the Arwings were back online and fully operational. As expected, Pepper wasted no time getting the pilots back into the skies once more. The team hoped that they would finally get some answers as well, as everyone would be in the same room once again for the meeting.

But Fara wasn't there. And Fox still wasn't talking.

After making a comment about the missing team member, the meeting went on as planned. The General decided to continue the assault on the rest of the planets in the system, as they had delayed far too long since they last recovered a planet in his mind, choosing Katina as their next target.

As they were all set to leave, Pepper had one last thing to say. "Junior, can I have a word with you alone?"

The rest of the team filed out and left Fox with the canine. "Yes, sir?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Pepper shook his head, letting out a soft sigh. "Fara isn't here again, and you're nowhere near your usual talkative self. What's going on?"

Fox looked away from the General as he responded. "Nothing is wrong."

"Sure there isn't. Look, you can tell me whatever it is. Are you sure you don't have anything to say?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Fine. As long as this doesn't interfere with your duties, you can keep up the silent treatment. But I have a system to worry about over here, and I don't want to worry about my pilots' activities and relationships as well."

"Yes, sir. Can I go now?"

Pepper could tell that he wasn't going to get any answers at all. And short of holding him back, letting the entire system suffer in his absence, there was little he could do about it. "Go on. Good luck, Junior." 

"Thanks." Wasting no further time, Fox turned and walked out, leaving the canine alone with his thoughts and worries.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fara was watching over the team from the comfort of her own room via the many security monitors that the base had. While she knew that she shouldn't be spying upon them like this, especially as they were her own team, she didn't want to risk the chance in stumbling upon them as she wandered through the halls. Ignoring a quick pang of regret, she watched as the pilots climbed into their Arwings and launched into the midmorning day.

She stood up and mulled over the same thoughts that she had the last few days – why Fox hadn't released her from the team like she'd demanded. She knew that she wasn't good enough for them. The other four on the team were hardened warriors as far as she was concerned, while she was just a test pilot, albeit a rather good one. This just wasn't her forte.

As it was, she wouldn't mind leaving anyway, as her father had sent her a message yesterday stating that the replacements to the patrol craft that the rest of the base used had just left the design phase. Her skills would be useful in the coming weeks according to him. While she enjoyed her time in the skies fighting Andross' forces, it just didn't feel right to her, especially with her luck in the Arwings so far. And unlike the rest of the team, she really didn't need the reward offered to the pilots, even though she didn't know exactly how much it was.

She was about to leave her room and see what interesting things were going on when the computer next to her beeped, informing her know she had an incoming call. Concerned as to who it was, here worries were calmed when the system identified the caller. Sitting back down as a smile appeared on her face, she answered the call. "Fay! What's going on with you today?"

The canine smiled back and brought up a paw to comb through her once white fur, which was currently dotted with what looked like soot. "Nothing too much. Practicing my mad scientist look for the most part."

Fara laughed. "I've noticed. What are you two doing down there anyway?"

"Actually, Fara, we figured that you'd like to come down to visit and see for yourself. Interested?" 

"Always. Be right down."

* * *

A short walk later found Fara riding down the elevator to the science lab, anxiously waiting to meet up with the pair inside. She was just pleased to get her mind off current events, and she knew that out of everyone in the base, these two would be able to do it.

However, even with as long as she'd known the pair, she wasn't quite prepared for what she saw when she arrived. With a muted hiss the back of the elevator opened and revealed the interior of the lab. The first thing she noticed was Fay, which in itself wasn't unusual at all.

The fact that she was hovering three feet in the air was however.

Fara watched with amazement as she settled back to the ground. "How…what was that?"

"Just a sec," she replied. She turned towards her boss, who sat typing away at a terminal as she continued. "Compressed air, while far less volatile, simply doesn't offer the same power or endurance as ignited natural gas."

"Agreed," said Miyu, looking over the figures on her screen. "Results state a 23 reduction in longevity and a 1.2 second increase until you connected with the ceiling."

Fay sighed as she sat down and pulled the boots off her feet. "I guess it simply isn't going to happen then."

"While the increased mobility would be useful on the battlefield, it's going to be too dangerous to those around them."

Fara looked between the pair and wondered if she was going to get an explanation. "What exactly are you two working on?"

"Sorry," said the canine apologetically as she replaced her footwear. "Pepper had us looking into ways to increase a soldier's mobility in our spare time. Unfortunately, it seems like this isn't going to be as easy as we thought."

"That's an understatement," said Miyu as she picked up the boots and fiddled with something inside of them. "Our original idea was to put a propellant into redesigned footwear, thus allowing one to fly around without the aid of hand-held maneuvering jets and a jetpack of some sort."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Fara. "What's the problem then?"

"Plenty. Besides the stability issues as we found out, it's simply too dangerous to use the most efficient fuels."

"A mixture of rocket fuels for the most part," interjected Fay.

"Yes. Not only do they have to be configured for everyone individually as far as weight goes, which makes wearing combat armor or equipment an annoyance as they need to be adjusted afterwards, but it's risky to be anywhere near the boots upon launch. The other negative is the fact that it tends to ignite whatever's underneath you."

The canine laughed. "We found that one out the hard way."

"What did you burn down?" asked a now concerned Fara as she looked around the room.

"Nothing, thankfully," replied Miyu.

"Just left some nice scorch marks on the tile floor," added Fay, pointing to where one of the tables had been recently moved. "We haven't gotten around to replacing it yet."

"No, you've been too lazy to get it fixed."

"I have not!"

"Yes you have."

Fara giggled quietly as she looked back and forth between the pair, arguing like they were children and not the scientists that they were. "What are your plans for them then?"

"Probably just give up on them for now," replied Miyu, thankful to get this conversation back on track. "Technology just hasn't miniaturized enough for our ideas to be both effective and safe."

"Although setting things on fire is always fun," commented Fay with a grin. She was shot a look of such hatred from her boss that she actually shrunk back in shock. "What?"

Fara quickly interposed as she wasn't in the mood to see another verbal battle. "What are your plans for the prototype?"

"What do you mean?" asked the lynx, not sure what she was getting at.

"The boots. Are you just going to put them into storage or something?"

"Ah," she replied, now understanding. "We were going to put them away, like we do with most projects that fall through. Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Fara paused as she wasn't sure how to put her request. While the pair was always nice enough to show her most of what they were working on, they rarely let her play with their toys, unless it was going to directly affect her in some way. She seemed drawn to these boots for some reason or another however. "Mind if I try out those boots?"

The scientists looked at each other as if they were telepathic, debating on the answer. Their gaze shifted to the vixen after a few seconds as Miyu responded. "Sure."

"They should fit you," added Fay, speaking up after being quiet for so long. "Your feet look about the same size as mine."

Thankfully for Fara it was a perfect fit, her feet sliding in easily. After checking to make they were on properly, they passed over a small wrist device used to control the boots. After taking a few minutes to orient her as to how everything worked, they walked over to a corner of the lab that had the tiles removed, revealing a dirt floor underneath, and prepared for her first flight.

As expected, it didn't go well as the vixen promptly lost her balance and fell over as soon as she left the ground. Dusting herself off, she tried again, with almost the exact same results. "This isn't as easy as it looks," she laughed as she got back to her feet.

"No it's not," commented Fay as she covered a smile. "Maintaining your balance is the hardest part to learn, as it's a rather new experience. Nothing at all like flying. Try again."

Now having a good idea as to what to expect, Fara tried once more, refusing to give up. Bracing herself best she could, she pushed the buttons to fire up her boots. She shot into the air and let out a yip of glee as she stayed upright. After a moment, the flames shooting out from underneath quieted somewhat and allowed her to hover in place. "This is so cool!" she exclaimed, holding out her paws to steady herself as she slowly spun in place.

The other two in the room smiled as they watched Fara enjoy her newfound freedom, reverting to the carefree vixen they remembered so well. They both knew that she hadn't been her usual self in the last few days, but nobody knew why, short of the person in front of them. "Watch your fuel," said Miyu, keeping careful count of the seconds she'd been airborne.

Fara was simply too engrossed to think about something as simple as fuel however. All she knew was that she was floating in place, defying the powers of gravity, without the need to be in space and inside the bulky confines of either a ship or suit. She would have kept it up indefinitely if it wasn't for the sudden loud and grating beeping noise that her wrist device emanated a few seconds later, informing her that she must land.

With a sigh she touched the controls, her flight coming to a graceful end as the boots powered down and allowed a soft landing on the dirt floor. "That's so amazing! I love it!"

"Glad to see that you enjoy it so much," said Miyu wistfully.

"Having fun?" asked Fay with a laugh, already knowing the answer.

"Oh heck yes!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. "It…it's like flying, but so different, so much fun. I can't explain it."

"I can see that," joked the canine. "While I'd rather fly, this is close enough for the time being."

Miyu looked between the two and wished she was able to join them in their flight. Unfortunately for her, it was decided early on to design the boots for Fay, owing to the fact that she was the lighter of the pair. Had they been successful, the lynx would have had her own to experiment with. She was pleased to see Fara enjoying herself so much however. "Care to fly again?"

"Can I?"

She walked over to an electronic wall safe embedded in one wall and punched in the code to open it. "Sure."

Fara looked for a good spot to sit down, finally deciding upon a chair that didn't have too much junk on it to move off. "What's in the safe?"

"The fuel cells you need among other things."

"Our plans for global domination," added Fay with a smile.

Miyu shook her head as she withdrew two cylindrical tubes, a few inches shorter than the almost knee-high boots. She instructed Fara to remove her footwear and showed her how to replace the fuel cells within. "Any questions?"

"No, I think…actually, I do have one. Out of curiosity, why is the fuel locked up like that? It's not like anybody else works here short of you two."

Fay giggled upon hearing her question. "You're basically wearing a scaled-down version of an engine. Think about it for a moment."

Noticing the addled and almost frightened look upon the vixen's face, as she now realized what she was wearing, Miyu knew that she needed to clear things up. "Pardon my partner's rather blunt remark, but you have nothing to worry about. The fuel itself isn't explosive unless it's being used or directly shot at, and the boots themselves are armored enough to withstand a few shots from your basic low-powered blaster."

"Thank goodness for little favors then," said Fara, relieved somewhat. She smiled as she stood up. "Well, up and away." 

The pair watched as she took to the air once more, the happy grin on her face clearly showing her feelings, even though they both knew that there was something going on with her far deeper.

* * *

A few days passed, in which the Starfox team successfully continued their quest to restore peace to the galaxy. It was a hard-fought battle most of the time, Andross' forces starting to put tremendous pressure upon the pilots to simply stay alive, but in the end, they always returned home safely, their missions accomplished.

On the home front however, nothing had improved. While Fara now joined them during meetings, giving no explanation as to her previous absence, she stayed quiet most of the time unless directly asked a question. Peppy had tried his best to find out why during his free time, but owing to the fact that each battle had left him and the rest of the team more and more exhausted, he simply didn't have the time.

But he needed to know what happened that day. The whole team deserved to know.

So on the way out to Macbeth, their target of the day, the hare finally decided to take the time necessary to find out the truth. Taking a glance at the stars around him and stretching best he could in the confines of the Arwing, he asked, "Fox, you have a minute?"

He sounded as tired as the rest of the team did as he responded. The combat, while short most days, was getting more and more intense the closer they came to Venom, and he was growing worried as to the condition of everyone else. "What's up?"

"It's about Fara."

His response was swift. "Nothing is—"

"Yes there is, Fox. There's something going on between the both of you and it's affecting everyone on the team."

"Why do you think that you always know what's best for everyone?"

Peppy sighed, knowing that this was going to be one of those conversations. He had to find out the reason why though, as much as he hated to press Fox for it. "Your father always respected my thoughts and suggestions, so why can't you?"

"Because most of the time they invade into my privacy, that's why."

"Fox, look. Ever since the day Fara was released from the medical bay, something happened with you. I don't know if it was Falco's comments or not, but since then you've changed for the worse."

"I have not."

The hare continued with what he had to say and ignored the interruption. "You and Fara now avoid each other like the plague, and the few times you're with each other, you both act like the other doesn't exist."

"If you're so worried, why don't you talk with her?"

"Because I don't know her like I know you. And by your Father's last request to me, I'm supposed to watch over you, make sure that you're safe. Your acts concern me and the rest of the team. Please tell me."

Fox stayed quiet for the longest time, making Peppy wonder if he was simply going to be ignored. Finally, he answered in a dull tone. "We…we had a fight."

Peppy found it hard to believe that the friend he had known for many years could be silenced by something as simple as a fight. "That's it?"

"No. We…she got into an argument."

"Why?"

"She wanted off the team."

Now the hare had a good idea what exactly happened. He knew that Fox would have never let her leave like that, not without an especially good reason. "But she's a very respectable pilot."

"She sure doesn't feel that way."

"Care to explain?"

"Fara thinks she's a threat to the team based on her luck so far in the skies, even though I know differently."

Peppy looked around at the slowly moving stars and tried to figure out where to take this conversation. There was something more to Fox's reasoning that he wasn't telling, but he didn't know what just yet. "So do we all. I take it you denied her request to leave at that point, correct?"

Fox huffed in response, as if upset at having to dignify that question with an answer. "Of course I did. I—the team is not going to just lose her like that."

The hare smiled, having caught the slip in words. He thought that there was something going on between the two of them, even though neither of them had admitted to anything. Deciding to see if he could delve further, he pushed on. "Of course not. However…"

"Yes?"

"That can't be the only reason, Fox. I know you too well."

"And what…" He sighed and quieted for a moment before continuing. "You're really damn annoying, you know that?"

Despite the circumstances, Peppy had to laugh. "I've been hold that many times by many different people. I take it I'm right?"

"Of course you are. I swear that you're psychic or something." After a few seconds of thought, he continued. "I…I feel like I need to protect her for some reason or another."

"An entirely plausible reason considering you're of the opposite sex."

"No…that's not the reason." Sensing his teammate's rumbling of disagreement, he adjusted what he was saying. "Well, okay, so it is part of the reason. But it's not all of it."

"What is it then?"

"I'm worried about her. I'm worried about all of us. When we win this war, Peppy, it's just not going to end at that point. We're going to be hunted for what we've done for the rest of our lives."

"In war, there are always those who wished that the other side won, no matter how wrong their side may seem to be."

Fox rolled his eyes upon listening to yet another philosophical view from the hare. "Yeah. But anyway, I just don't want to see her run off like that. I feel like I have to watch over her, like I keep an eye out on you guys."

"She's part of the team now."

"Exactly."

Peppy quieted and thought over what he'd heard. This seemed familiar to him somehow, but he just couldn't place it. Maybe it was a line from James so long ago. "Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

"I can't do that."

"Why not? It would get you talking again at least."

"It…it just sounds so corny."

"I can do quite a few things for you, Fox, and I have done so over the years. This simply isn't one of those things. Go tell Fara how you feel. Something tells me she'll understand." 

Sensing the discussion was over, the vulpine leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Everything that Peppy said had made sense, as always. He just wasn't sure what he should do about it. "We'll see."

* * *

The days continued to pass, the Starfox team drawing closer and closer to Venom with every successful attack. The once mighty warriors under Andross' command were crushed like a vice wherever they went, and the towns and cities that were freed were cheering the team's name any chance they had. The pilots had encountered some hardships in battle, but in the end it was nothing that their combined teamwork couldn't handle.

On the home front, things were just as cheerful for the most part, the base staff congratulating the team after every victory, even if they had to work the rest of the night repairing the damage they'd caused to their Arwings. They were just glad to see somebody taking the fight to Andross, restoring order to what was once a peaceful system.

Not everything was perfect however. Even after the discussion with Peppy, Fox hadn't done anything with the suggestions he'd received, allowing the silence between him and Fara continue. The remainder of the team hated the quiet, and now that they knew the reason as to why, it made little sense to them.

They just didn't know what to do. They didn't dare talk to Fara directly with this insider information, as they simply didn't know what her reaction would be. On top of that, she was still trying her hardest to avoid the team in their off time.

It didn't mean that others couldn't help however.

Worried about their friend, Miyu and Fay had decided to do some digging around of their own. Knowing that it had to be something with the Starfox team, the pair kept tabs on them and figured out their usual meal times, coming to the conclusion that would be the easiest way to possibly overhear something.

Luck was on their side one morning as Miyu sat quietly at the table next to Peppy and Slippy, reading the morning paper. The pair was trying to figure out how to convince Fox to speak with Fara, and while they were doing their best to disguise what they were talking about, it was rather clear to the lynx as to what their topic of conversation was.

Hiding her smile behind the datapad she had in one paw, she waited for the two to leave for their mission of the day before heading back to the lab. Fay met her as soon as she walked in, waiting expectantly for some good news. "Well?"

"Mission accomplished."

The canine beamed in joy. "All right!"

Shaking her head at her fellow scientist's enthusiasm, Miyu went through everything she learned. "What do you think?" she asked upon finishing.

"Poor, poor Fara. She thinks Fox was just being a jerk to her, but instead, he really cares. How sad."

"Agreed. The question, however, is what we do with this information."

Fay thought for a moment and tried to figure out the best course of action. "We need to talk to her about this."

"That much is obvious. What do we tell her though?"

"Well… I think we should try to get her to talk to us about her side of the story. If she keeps quiet, then we tell her what we know."

"An interesting suggestion. But how do we bring her down here so she doesn't get suspicious?"

"I have an idea," said Fay as she pointed at a small, three-pronged helmet that sat on a table nearby. "Are the goodies that you've installed in there ready for outside testing?"

Miyu smiled as she agreed with her teammate's suggestion. "What a good idea. I'll call her now."

A few minutes passed before Fara arrived, pleased as ever to see the pair. "What's up, you two?"

Fay took a good look at the vixen and tried to determine how she was before responding. While she seemed her usual energetic self, she could see the tired look in her eyes, betraying her true feelings. "Well, we have something we'd like to give to you."

"To test out would be the more accurate answer," added Miyu.

Fara looked rather surprised to hear what was said. "But I just got something from you not too long ago. Thanks again for letting me keep those boots by the way."

"No problem," replied the lynx. "In actuality though, we didn't originally intend to give them to you."

"But you liked them so much, we just had to pass them along," said Fay with a laugh. "Just don't burn down the base."

The vixen laughed back. "So what do you want to give me today then?"

"Mind if I take a look at your headset?" asked Miyu.

Fara grew nervous upon hearing that question. While she didn't have a sentimental attachment to it like Fox did, she was rarely without her helmet communicator. "Why?"

"We have a few upgrades that we've developed, and we're looking for a couple of people to test them out."

Still worried somewhat, but trusting the pair, she pulled off her helmet without another thought, smoothing her headfur as she did so. "Be careful with it, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything with it." Miyu compared the helmet sitting on the desk next to her with the one she accepted from Fara. After making a few adjustments, she passed it to her. "Here, try it on."

The vixen took a look at the silver helmet, roughly the same size and shape as the one she had on previously. "It's lighter than mine," she commented as she put it on, "and it fits perfectly." She adjusted the communicator as she continued. "What's it do?"

"This is the newest piece of Cornerian military hardware," said Fay with a smile as she jumped in. "We're hoping it'll be adapted for many uses across the system actually."

"As for what it does," said Miyu, displeased at being interrupted, "let me explain. Sitting near your microphone is a panel hiding a series of unlabeled buttons. The first set controls your mike, like you'd expect. Same standard options like the one you already have."

"And from there it gets a tad more interesting."

The lynx sighed as she looked at her partner, wishing that she would stay quiet. "The second set controls an adjustable pair of binoculars, capable of magnifying from one-point-five to three times normal. The whole thing is designed around a pair of specially designed plastic lenses dropping down in front of your eyes, so it's nearly invisible except from close range."

Fara's eyes widened as she tried them out, amazed at how well they worked. "Wow," she whispered in awe as she looked around the room. "How'd you figure this one out?"

"The science behind it is rather simple, or at least it was compared to the difficulty in trying to get everything jammed into that head piece anyway. That was a logistical nightmare."

"What else is buried in here? I can feel a few more buttons."

"The third row controls what would be better used in a police or commando raid, but it might have some uses otherwise. It's a short-range frequency modulator, capable of blocking and distorting certain harmful sound levels that could be used to stun or injure an opponent."

Fara looked as if she seemed impressed, but then she scrunched her eyes in confusion. "Care to rephrase that?"

Fay giggled as Miyu tried to think of another way of describing what it did. "How best to put it… You've heard of sonic stun grenades before, right?"

"Yeah."

"Previously, any police team intending to use them had to wear bulky and potentially dangerous helmets to block out the frequencies used to stun their opponents. The downside was that they couldn't hear much of what was going on around them as a result. This prevents that."

"Ah. Can you still hear when you use them though?"

Miyu nodded. "While you can still hear, there is a sound-deadening effect. It's not as noticeable as the older designs, but it's still there. However, you can turn this off with a touch of a button."

"Nice. Anything else?"

"There are a few minor features like a tracking device with any other helmets in the area and ways to communicate to them all, but other than that, not really."

"Unfortunately, it can't roast your coffee or anything like that," joked Fay.

Fara laughed as the lynx groaned. "So, Fara, are you interested?"

"Of course I am," she replied. "Where do I sign up?"

"All I need is your permission to make the necessary modifications to your helmet."

Fay interrupted once more. "And we need you to sign your rights to your life, soul, and first-born kin on the dotted line."

"Why do I put up with you?" asked Miyu as she looked at her partner in dismay, tired of the snide comments.

"Because I'm really good at what I do, that's why."

"Thankfully. Anyway…shall I get started?"

Fara nodded, eager to get the modifications underway. "Do it."

"All right then. Fay, if you'd keep her occupied then, I'll get to work."

"Sure thing, boss." As Miyu walked off into her work area, separated from the rest of the room by a few bookcases littered with assorted experiments, the canine gestured around the room as she continued. "You can sit down anywhere if you want. Pardon the mess."

Pushing some papers out of the way, Fara revealed a seat and sat down with a smile on her face. "I'm used to it. This won't take long?"

"Not really. It's just a matter of moving parts around for the most part."

"Ah."

Fara looked around the room and tried to find something to hold her attention as she waited, while Fay instead sat there and watched the vixen, attempting to figure out the best way to approach her with what she wanted to say. "Anything on your mind, Fara?"

She looked over in surprise at the sudden question. It took her a few seconds to respond, clearly showing what the true answer was. "No, not really."

Knowing that there was something up, she decided to just dive right in with her topic of discussion, keeping up her innocent and humorous self for just a while longer. "So, how's that cutie Fox doing?"

"What?"

"You know, Fox. The one that all the females are fawning—"

"He's a stupid jerk."

That answer came as quite a shock to Fay. While she knew that the pair didn't see eye to eye, she didn't expect her to say that. "Those are very harsh words," she said as her tone turned serious as she tried to figure out what to say. "Why?"

Fara's response was just as stern. "He's a moronic, uncaring fool, only thinking about himself instead of others."

"From what I hear around the base that's not how he is. Care to explain?"

"You've heard of my track record so far with the Arwings, right?"

"I personally consider it bad luck and—"

"Yes or no."

Fay sighed. "Yes."

"So you know that I've wrecked one and almost trashed another."

"But what does—"

"I'm not cut out for fighting."

The canine now more or less understood what was going on. It was clear that she no longer wanted to fly in combat, that she didn't feel like she was good enough to do so. Nevertheless, there was still one question remaining. "What does this have to do with Fox?"

Fara looked away, as if she was ashamed to admit what she was saying. "I asked to be pulled from the team."

"And?"

"The idiot said no."

Fay could hardly believe what she was hearing. This entire argument was based around a single question; one that didn't get the proper answer, at least as far as Fara was concerned anyway. Then again, she knew that the vixen was quite the stubborn one once her mind was set. It was easy to see how and why she was so upset. All she had to do was show her the truth. "Did you ever think that there might be another reason?"

"From that selfish fool? No."

The pair stayed quiet at that point, listening to Miyu solder and weld nearby, that part of the room lighting up occasionally as the sparks flew. There was more that had to be said, however. "Fara, once this war is over, what do you think will happen?"

It took her a few seconds to answer that question. "Once the Starfox team sends Andross packing, things will go back to their normal, peaceful ways. Why?"

Fay shook her head, surprised at the pilot's naivety. "I highly doubt that. Do you honestly believe that Andross is working alone out there, with absolutely nobody backing him?"

"Probably not, but—"

"What happens when the war is over? Those supporting him wanted him to win, as horrible as it may sound. What do you think they'll do afterwards?"

Fara's eyes grew wide as she came to the same conclusion that the scientist was aiming towards. "They'll come after the Starfox team in revenge."

She shook her head once more. "They'll come after everyone who's ever been on the Starfox team."

"That…that includes…"

"Yes, Fara, that includes you, as well as everyone here on this base."

The vixen was stunned into temporary silence as she never had thought the aftermath through. "I…I never realized that."

Fay stayed quiet for a few seconds, letting her comprehend the severity of her actions of being a team member for as long as she had. "Now let me ask this question again. Do you think that there's another reason as to why Fox wants you to stay on the team?"

She slowly nodded. "He…he wants to watch over me, make sure that I'm safe. He wants to make sure I don't run off to where he can't protect me."

"Exactly. He wants to protect you, as well as the rest of his team."

"I've been such a jerk towards him for no reason then if that's true. Are you sure you're right on this?"

"I can't be sure without talking to him or his team. However, it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Fara looked around and noticed that the light show from Miyu had ended. "Thanks."

Fay smiled in response. "I do what I can."

At that point, the lynx rounded the corner, carrying Fara's helmet in one paw. "And my work here is done. Did you two do anything interesting in my absence?"

"Not really," said Fara as she stood up and accepted the helmet. She put it on and played around with the binocular setting as she continued. "Thanks again. Anything else?"

She shook her head. "No. However, I do want a report from you on your experiences and on any uses you come across for all the features. And if you can think of anything else you'd find useful, put that down as well."

The vixen laughed. "Reports are the one thing that I can do well. Talk to you both later."

The pair watched as Fara left, once again in a far more energetic mood than when she came in. As the door closed behind her, Miyu asked, "Did you have enough time to talk with her?"

"I did." Fay recanted what she had learned and everything she told her. "I do believe we'll see some adjustments from her in the near future."

"I think so too." She smiled. "Nice work." 

"Thanks." 


	37. Just Another Day

Marble Didymus, you brought up a very good point with your review. When I originally started this fic so very long ago, all I had was a vision. In the end, this vision turned out to be this absolutely giant fic you're looking at today. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that it would be so...big. Honestly, if I knew it would be so huge, I doubt I would have started it in the first place. 

But now, I'm simply too far into this to quit. The good news is that this story is finally starting to wrap itself up. Far more chapters are behind than are in front of this point. 

So, for those few readers I still have of this fic, it's time for me to stop blabbering and let you all read. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 37: Just Another Day**

_Where would I be without Peppy as my consular? He always somehow knows exactly what needs to be said, no matter the circumstances._ – Fox

_Oh, Fox, how I misjudged you. I thought you were nothing but a senseless jerk, but instead you turn out to be such a kind and caring person._ – Fara 

Much to the rest of the team's surprise, Fara was in a far better mood the next morning, sitting and chatting with everyone at breakfast. While Fox seemed shy around her for some reason, she was more than eager to listen to their adventures. Nobody was quite sure as to her sudden change in attitude however, but they didn't really care either at this point as they were just glad to see her back.

The team was in for another surprise when they arrived at Pepper's office later that day. Moments after walking in, he looked over the assembled team, noticed their exhausted faces, and knew exactly what he had to do. "Starfox team, as much as I'd like to do otherwise, it's clear to me that putting you into the skies again would be hazardous to your health."

He made shooing motions with his paws as he continued. "In other words, get out of here. Go relax, go do something fun, go do anything to get your mind off the war. You've done an outstanding job so far, and I don't want to risk that. I'll see you tomorrow at your usual time."

As the rest of the team stood up, Fox had one question on his mind. "If you don't mind me asking, what was our goal for today anyway?"

Pepper smiled. "I didn't tell you this, but your objective was the last target on the list – Venom itself."

The pilots smiled with glee, having not realized that they had almost made a full sweep of the system in such a short length of time. "Damn, we're good," said Falco as he rubbed his paws in excitement. "I can't believe we're almost done."

"Neither can I," said Fox as he looked over his team before he turned back towards the General. "See you tomorrow then."

Leaving the meeting room the conversation continued. To their surprise, Peppy said something rather unexpected as the door closed behind them. "And how many lives have we ruined in our conquests?"

"Oh for crying out loud," blared the avian as he moved to walk off. "I don't want to hear this."

"Falco, wait," ordered Fox. "Peppy, what made you say that?"

"Think about it for a minute. How many people have we killed in the past few weeks? Sure, it's for an excellent and needed cause, but why us?"

"Cause we're the best, that's why," said Falco. "Who cares how many damn lizards we kill that get in our way anyway?"

"A most interesting argument," commented Slippy. "At least if you think about it philosophically."

"So we kill a few hundred, but we save millions in the process," said Fara, still trying to figure out what was going on.

Falco nodded. "My point exactly."

"You've said it before, Peppy," said Fox as he walked up to his teammate in concern. "War is hell. Nothing we do is going to change that."

"We just get out there and do what we do best – kill things."

"It's only one more—"

Fox was interrupted as the door to Pepper's office opened up. The team quieted as he looked at them in concern, trying to figure out why they were still here. "Anything I can help you with?"

"No," replied the vulpine.

"I do have one request though," said Fara as an idea popped in her head. She knew what the team needed to do to get their mind off the war. At least for today, anyway.

"Name it."

"Permission to take the team off the base, General."

It took him only a moment before he responded with a nod. "Granted. Pick up some ID cards for them on the way out. You're responsible for them however, as a military ID only goes so far around here."

Fara smiled, knowing how true his comment was. Even though they were very well known around the system, without physical proof of them being a Cornerian citizen, their activities were going to be limited. "Yes, sir, I know."

"Good. Enjoy your day then. And be careful." Pepper turned and left, leaving them alone once more.

"Taking us out on a tour of the town?" questioned Fox, surprised at Fara's actions.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because you need it, you silly, that's why." She laughed. "Peppy over here is the perfect example." Ruffling the hare's headfur playfully, she continued. "You're putting too much thought into this war. It's not good for you, or any of us for that matter."

"But why you?" asked Falco.

She shot him a dirty look, responding before Fox could interfere. "What? You think that just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't know how to enjoy my off time? You're sorely mistaken."

"Well, I…" For once the usually mouthy avian was left speechless.

"Besides, who among us has a citizen ID card?" She smiled. "Or transportation?"

"Good points, Fara," said Fox. He realized that time off away from this war would do the team good, especially with their final battle staring them in the face. "Let's go, team. We're going to have some fun for once, and that's an order."

Wasting no further time, the group followed Fara downstairs to pick up some identification, and then proceeded to exit via the underground parking garage right next to the base. "Luckily for you guys I drive something economical," she commented as they piled into her stylish red hovercar convertible. "You wouldn't exactly fit if this was a two-seater."

The doors leading outside parted as she hit a button on a small remote hidden in her glove compartment. As soon as she had clearance, Fara punched the throttle. Smiling as she shot into the open air, she asked around for ideas and objectives for the day, answers that they were more than happy to give.

Knowing that most of the places suggested were closed for at least another half hour or so, she decided to take the team to one of the larger parks in the city, allowing them to simply enjoy the peace and serenity offered by being outside the base. She quickly scampered off into one of the larger trees while the rest of the team sat and soaked up the sunshine and the cool morning air.

From there they moved onward to Corneria's largest mall and simply wandered around, window shopping for the most part. While there weren't too many people populating the area this early in the morning, those that were noticed the team instantly and promoted them to near celebrity status. The attention was a good thing, as it boosted their morale and spirits, knowing how grateful the citizens were for their help. It was something not portrayed too well from their time watching the media reports on their excursions.

Afterwards, Fara took them to one of the high-rise restaurants, one where she knew the owner personally. It allowed them to get a private table away from the hustle of the other customers. It was a popular eatery, as the seating locations slowly rotated around the exterior of the restaurant, giving them an overall view of Corneria that few ever saw. As they finished their meal, Fara asked the team, "So, guys, you like this place?"

They nodded and mumbled their acceptance as Fox added, "This place is fantastic. Come here often?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Dad used to bring me up here all the time when I was younger."

Fox could sense something else that she wanted to say, something on the tip of her tongue, but she held back for some reason. He didn't want to press further, as this seemed like such a perfect day so far, one that he didn't want to ruin with a single question. He debated on talking to her on what he'd discussed with Peppy a few days earlier, but he just couldn't do it in front of the guys. Instead, he just tried to sneak in a look of her almost perfect self every chance he got.

Fara on the other hand continued to watch him, smiling inwardly every time she noticed his green eyes make a darting glance her way, hoping that she wouldn't notice. She enjoyed the attention, especially with Fay's suggestion as to his protectiveness earlier, but she wished deep down that he'd say something about it. She felt like talking to him, asking him about his reasons and thoughts, but she wanted to be alone with him to do so.

Finishing their meals, the five smiled and waved at the cheering patrons before driving to their next destination – a movie. It was little more than a mindless, nine month old action flick. It was popular when it was first released, but it was something that the team hadn't seen for obvious reasons. On top of that, there wasn't anything newer on the big screen due to the war, but it was a good way to spend the afternoon nonetheless.

In the end, it was an excellent day for the team. They felt fully relaxed and rejuvenated, something that they had not felt in quite some time. Their worries of the war had vanished for the moment, allowing them to feel like a normal Cornerian citizen for once.

That feeling was not to last.

They were walking back to Fara's vehicle, discussing the merits of watching such a brainless movie, when the unmistakable hiss of a laser weapon discharge impacted near their feet. "Get down!" yelled Fox as he instantly took command of the situation.

The pilots rolled behind any nearby vehicles as a pair of lasers flew past where they stood just moments before. As the citizens scattered back inside the building, it became very clear that the team was the intended targets of the attack, as the weapons fire continued to focus upon them. "Where the hell are they?" hollered Falco, ducking as a car window nearby shattered from a stray shot.

Nobody had the time to formulate an answer as suddenly the attackers focused on a car nearby, causing it to explode into a brilliant ball of flame. At that point they all realized just how much trouble they were all in, as they knew that they were unarmed and had no place to hide that couldn't be destroyed in a few seconds. "Should we yield?" asked Peppy.

Fox shook his head as another vehicle detonated and showered the group with debris. He knew that surrendering would do nothing but sign their own death warrants, based upon the blatant lack of tact from the shooters, as they were attacking in broad daylight in a populated area. He hoped that the police would arrive in a matter of minutes, but he didn't know if they'd have anything to hide behind until that time.

Fara realized this as well, knowing that they were running out of options. However, she had an ace up her sleeve. "To my car!" she ordered as she pulled a small remote out of her jacket pocket.

"So it can blow up like the others?" shouted Falco. "Hell no!"

"Trust me!"

"Go!" yelled Fox. "I'll keep them busy, now go!"

Peppy's voice of reason spoke up over the resounding din. "Fox, are—"

"That's an order!" he interrupted loudly, knowing that his team wouldn't listen to his near suicidal demands unless he forced them to follow it. "Fara, get them to safety."

She took one look into his eyes and noticed his serious gaze, knowing that he'd give up everything just to make sure the rest of his team got away. She nodded, her expression turning to a wince as another vehicle became the target of their attacker's firepower. "Be careful."

"You too." He watched as the others slowly moved away, making sure they maintained a low profile. It didn't take them long before they ran out of cover, the theater not being all that crowded this early in the day. Looking at his team, hoping that it wouldn't be his last, he yelled as loud as he could, "We give up!" The shots quieted as quickly as they started, as if making sure as to what was said. "We give up!" he yelled once more.

The silence was broken by orders shouted by a male from a nearby grove of trees. "Put your paws up into the air and come out where I can see you!"

That statement surprised Fox, expecting what he thought were multiple assailants to use the term we instead of I. He did as ordered and moved wearily into sight. He knew that while his reaction time was quick, there was little chance that he could dodge a laser blast without already being in motion. The voice didn't like what he was seeing though. "All of you!"

His mind raced as he tried to find a suitable response. "Your chaotic shooting injured two of my teammates. Give them a minute to get to their feet." He hoped that the others were already on their way to safety, as he knew that he couldn't hold their attention for much longer.

What he thought was a decent plan began to very quickly unravel. "Look over there!" shouted somebody else from the trees. "That red car!"

Fox froze, not sure if his life was going to be snuffed out at that instant or not. He turned and looked for his friends, wanting his last moments to be on them, knowing that they got away. Try as he might however, he wasn't able to see where they parked from where he was, but he could see the weapons fire littering the area.

They were leaving him alone for the moment, finding a more attractive target in his friends. He just hoped he gave them enough of a head start to escape. "Please be—"

His hopes were shattered as a vehicle in that area of the lot came to an explosive end, flames shooting into the afternoon sky. Not knowing whose car that was, and no longer caring for his safety anymore, Fox charged through the parking lot and tried to find out the answer.

He never heard the order to resume attacking, but fire upon him they did, laser blasts pelting him on all sides. He ducked and weaved as he ran, never pausing longer than a moment behind the temporary cover of a vehicle. He had to find out what happened to his team. Nothing else mattered.

As he neared his goal, the shots whizzed even closer as the attackers learned his dodge maneuvers. He knew it would take only a single clean hit to bring him down. But he didn't care. His team was more important.

Suddenly, the high-pitched whine of a hovercar filled his ears, drowning out the weapons fire as it passed right over his head. It came to a halt a few feet in front of him, its back left door popping open as it stopped.

What drew Fox's attention was the red coloring of the car and the license plate on the back. While the convertible's top was pulled tightly shut, protecting the passengers inside, he would have recognized the vehicle anywhere.

It was Fara's car.

Falco poked his head and arms out the doorway and reached towards the vulpine. "Grab on!"

Fox needed no further prompting. Relieved that his team was okay, he summoned his strength and leaped into the avian's grasp. The car listed dangerously to one side as they struggled to get in, the owner not ready for the additional weight. Sure of his hold, and knowing that they wouldn't last long as the lasers began to target their craft, Falco yelled, "I got him! Punch it!"

Fara threw the throttle forward and sent the hovercar into the sky. With one final tug, Fox clambered into the vehicle and tumbled into Falco in the process. Making sure they were clear, Peppy hit a button on his armrest in the front seat, closing and locking the door behind them. He continued to look out the rear window as he asked, "Are you okay, Fox?"

Fox nodded and panted as he tried to catch his breath. "Yeah. Thanks…for coming back."

Swerving suddenly as she pulled into the traffic lanes, Fara said, "No way were we leaving—"

"Incoming!" interrupted Slippy as he spotted another vehicle speeding up behind them. They'd noticed a car partially hidden behind some trees when they rescued Fox, and had figured it belonged to their attackers. This looked to be the same vehicle.

"Don't you have any guns on this thing?" asked Falco.

"Shields aren't exactly standard, mister," said Fara, changing lanes and directions to try to shake her pursuer. "And a turret is simply impossible. Be glad with what I have."

Any further attempts at normal conversation were cut off as the other craft began firing upon them. "Then we're all screwed," muttered the avian, keeping his eyes behind him.

She countered by dropping about 100 feet, narrowly missing a pair of vehicles in the process. "Not yet. Peppy, there's a blaster in my glove compartment. Pass it to Fox."

"Roger."

"Fox, you'll be unshielded as soon as soon as you stick your head outside, so watch yourself."

"Okay."

Desperately, Fara changed directions once again and found another side street to turn into. The hail of lasers paused, but only for a moment. It was long enough though for Fox to get his borrowed weapon pointed outside, allowing him to fire back.

Missed shots struck buildings on both sides of the narrow street, shattered windows and other pieces of debris raining upon any unfortunate citizen walking below. As a pair of hostile blasts found their target on the back of her car, the shields pulsing a dull red from the damage, she yelled into her communicator, "Corneria Base, where the hell is my assistance?"

Celine responded to her demands for help once more, amazingly calm despite Fara's near panicked state when she first called only a short while ago. "Don't worry; they're on their way and tracking you via your homing signal."

Turning off her headset, she cursed loudly and changed streets once more, tossing her passengers against their restraints. She didn't get around the corner quickly enough however, as with one final hit her shields collapsed, a dull tone emanating from her console as a reminder. Killing the noise, she heard a momentary cheer from the pilots in the back seat. "We got one!" exclaimed Slippy.

Fox never got the chance to shoot again as he suddenly yelped and twisted back into his seat empty handed. "They hit the gun," he muttered as he shook his paw in pain. "Lucky shot."

Falco slumped back best he could in his seat and tried not to be tossed around thanks to Fara's erratic flying. "We're fucked."

"We're not done yet, flyboy." Desperately the vixen looked around, constantly weaving and diving past cars, trying to find some place to keep out of the line of fire of their attackers. While she normally loved how straight Corneria was as far as its city design went, it was going to be their undoing. Finding another side street, she cut her engine for a moment and shot into it. A vehicle she was trailing failed to dodge as quickly, its rear bursting into flame from the shots that missed them as they turned.

"On the other hand…maybe we are." Her side street was little more than another very narrow street, giving her no room to maneuver short of vertically. On top of that, she couldn't see any escape routes, short of the street itself coming to an end a mile distant, allowing access back to the main ways through town. "Fuck."

"You tried your best," said Fox, desperately searching around for an avenue of escape. There had to be something he could do. It just couldn't end this way. "You sure you don't have any other weapons handy?"

"I'm sure."

A laser blast connected and took out one of the rear lights. A second later, the rear windshield shattered as it took a hit as well. "We're gonna die!" cried Slippy as he cowered in the corner as best he could.

"Life is nothing but a set of experiences," stated Peppy, "filled with good and bad memories. I for one would like to say that it's been a good one."

"Will you shut the fuck up?" yelled Falco, unable to believe the last thing he was going to hear was one of Peppy's witticisms.

Another shot struck the underside of the car, all five passengers wincing as they felt the impact. Amazingly, the vehicle held together, but they knew that it would only take one good shot before they too became a fiery wreck. Fara refused to give up, but she knew that the odds were just stacked too much against her. "Nice knowing you guys."

Any further thoughts of their demise were cut off as the radio shot to life. "Fara! Hit the deck!"

Recognizing the voice, the vixen pushed the car into a dive, another shot glancing off the rear as she did so. At that same moment, three of the base's patrol craft rounded the corner in front of them and fired as soon as they had a shot. The bolts of energy whizzed past where Fara's own craft had just been and streaked towards their target.

Now in the same situation that she'd been in before, the attackers had nowhere to run. Desperately they dodged best they could, but they simply didn't have a chance against the trained pilots. Blaster shot after blaster shot struck home, knocking the craft around, before one finally hit the vehicle's engine and caused it to explode into a flaming ruin.

The five let out the breaths they'd been holding, unbelievably grateful for their good luck. "We made it," said Fox as he collapsed back into his seat.

"That we did," said Fara as she slowed down the car and watched as the patrol craft came into formation above her.

Falco looked around the vehicle, amazed that it hadn't become their grave. "I have to admit, that was some fancy flying."

She smiled as she realized that was as much of a compliment that she was going to get from the avian. "Thanks."

Reaching the end of the street, two of the patrol craft veered off and moved behind her to inspect the wreckage. The other continued to follow her as the pilot said, "Fara Phoenix, this is Patrol One. Everyone okay in there?"

"We are, thanks to you. What the hell took you so long?"

"There was a great deal on doughnuts we saw on the way over here that we couldn't pass up. Sorry."

Fara looked up at the craft as her face scrunched in anger. Then she figured out that it was nothing but a joke as her passengers started laughing. "Very funny. I'll get you for that."

"Sure you will. I'd like—" He quieted suddenly, listening in on another conversation from the other pilots on his team. "General Pepper demands your immediate return."

Now it was Fara's turn to laugh as she merged with traffic, this time at a much more leisured pace. "Well, duh. Mind if you keep watch overhead? I don't know if this car will hold together. I'm also not exactly street legal anymore."

"I noticed. We've been ordered to keep pace with you actually. Take a look at the next intersection." 

The team glanced forward and noticed another patrol craft hovering above the traffic. "I see it," said Fara. "Thanks." 

"Just doing my job, ma'am. Patrol One, out." 

Still in shock over their survival, the pilots worked their way back to the base. While it was much more boring, when they weren't on missions anyway, it was a much safer place overall. A feeling they desperately needed right now.

* * *

"What the hell happened out there today?" 

"Sir, I can explain."

"You'd better explain, Ms. Phoenix! I left you responsible for the rest of the team. Look at what happened!"

"Sir, we—"

"There are three civilians dead out there, eight injured, and one of those is not expected to live through the night. There are also no less than a half-dozen vehicles that'll never fly again."

"General, if—"

"I have the local police breathing down my neck. I have the planetary government trying to figure out what happened. I even have my military supporters asking questions. Why?"

The five pilots were currently assembled inside Pepper's office, his second in command standing idly nearby as usual as the General bombarded Fara with questions. It was at this point that Falco grew sick and tired of watching his teammate get verbally assaulted and decided to do something about it. "If you would shut—"

"This doesn't involve—"

He slammed his wings onto the desk in front of him. "You better believe it does! Now if you'd just shut your damn trap for a minute, and let her explain what the hell happened, you might actually get an answer!"

For once, Fox decided to stay out of this argument. He knew that there were times to interrupt, to fight for one's side, but this was clearly not one of them. Not yet. And as team leader, there were things that he just couldn't say, as he was expected to be the rational one on the team. He just shook his head and hoped for the best.

Pepper stared long and hard at the avian before saying, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't toss you into the brig and destroy the key!"

"Because you need us, that's why. You don't stand a chance in winning this war without us, and you know it."

Closing his eyes in anger, the General attempted to calm the seething rage building inside him. He knew that while he had every right to be upset, it should be Andross he was directing his hate towards, not the team. Slowly regaining control, he took a deep breath and asked far more quietly, "Fara, what happened?"

"We were attacked," came her blunt response.

He shook his head. "No, all of it. The whole day, in detail."

Noticing how calm and collective Pepper seemed to be all of a sudden, she lowered her own defenses and reverted to her friendly self. The last thing she wanted to do was take the chance at angering him again. Wasting no further time in thought, she delved into their experiences as requested.

The rest of the team kept quiet the entire time, as Fara had a surprisingly exact recollection. It wasn't until she was done did anybody else speak up, with the General asking questions as expected. "Did you happen to see your attackers?"

"No," she replied. "Nor did I hear them."

"I did," interrupted Fox. "Well, two of them at least. Both males, about middle-aged."

Gary looked up from the datapad he'd been reading, the device holding the information gathered so far on the investigation. "For your ears only – the vehicle that was chasing you had some kind of explosives in it. There's basically nothing left of the car or its passengers."

"Suicide bombers," muttered Falco. "Lovely."

"Or they had aims on planting them on our transportation," commented Peppy.

"When did you first see them?" asked Pepper, trying to find more answers than the ones he had.

"When they started shooting at us," answered Fara.

He waited for the others to make any comments, but they remained quiet. "Did any of you happen to see them at that point?" The pilots responded in the negative. "Not what I wanted to hear. Gary, is there any chance at an identification of the remains?"

"Not likely. However, we've been able to determine that they were not natives of Venom."

As everyone else in the room gasped in shock, Fox only sighed in dismay. His worries and fears had come true – there really were those on Corneria and probably the other worlds who didn't want them to succeed. The fact that they were willing to commit acts of terrorism against what was technically their own people was extremely disheartening.

It was clear that their lives had changed forever based on their choice to end the war. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to look over his shoulder every moment for the rest of his life because of it. Any further thoughts of his were stopped as Falco bluntly said, "So there are some assholes out there. They're not gonna stop us though."

"A very good point," said Pepper as he tried to boost everyone's spirits. "You have only one more mission in front of you. Afterwards, you're done. You've won."

"You're right," said Fox. "We are just one step away from victory."

"Exactly. Starfox team, you are dismissed. I'll see you all here tomorrow morning as usual. Just do your best to forget this incident."

"All right crew, let's go." The pilots stood up and left, not wanting to delve on today's events any more than they had to.

"I can't believe this happened," muttered Pepper quietly not long after the others left. "They weren't even Venomian. Why?"

"Money and power influences people in strange ways, General," replied Gary. "Although it's still rather surprising."

"That it is. I believed in the people of Corneria. I guess my beliefs were misplaced." The canine sighed as he stood up, getting ready to leave the confines of the briefing room. "But I won't be surprised again. Gary, I want at least one patrol craft in the skies around the base at all times, starting now."

He seemed surprised to hear this, but only for a moment as he thought the proposition through. "May I ask why?"

"Andross just tipped his paw as to his involvement here on Corneria. That was his best chance at subterfuge. Any other attempts will be far more direct if I had to make a guess. And keep me informed upon the results of your investigation." 

"I will." 


	38. The Final Assault

A big thanks to all the positive comments presented in the last chapter. Yes, Marble Didymus, terrorism is something that isn't touched upon much in most fics, but then again not many of them delt with the 'timeline' I'm following, either. Instead of a mercenary fight, this is all out war. And as the saying goes - "Each side thinks that their side is the good one." Or something like that, anyway.

To everybody else - short of a few quiet scenes here and there, this is all pretty much action from here on out.

PS: What's going on with this site's upload feature? I had to manually edit this chapter, line by line, as every said line that had a ? or ! in it was outright eaten. So, if you see a few funky sentences, that's why.

* * *

**Chapter 38: The Final Assault**

_I can't believe this happened. Fay was right – there are people who want us dead for what we're doing. –_ Fara

_We're going from the frying pan straight into the fire. But at least after today, Andross' ass will be ours. –_ Falco

_Is this a sign of times to come? Always watching over our shoulders just because we decided to save the galaxy? –_ Fox

The remainder of the day passed uneventfully for the pilots as they tried their best to forget the events that transpired earlier. In the end, they realized that it was simply something that they'd have to accept for now. They just hoped that their lives wouldn't be affected for the rest of their days because of their decision to simply help.

That night the team held an informal party for themselves, to sit back and talk about their missions over the past few weeks. Served over a few drinks courtesy of the mess hall, their discussion even went as far back as their time on Papetoon, talking about some of the missions they went through. Afterwards, they spoke of the happier times of days gone past, the alcohol helping their now jovial moods.

In the end, Fox raised his drink in a toast. "To a better life for the system once we've gotten rid of Andross tomorrow."

"His ass is ours," said Falco as he took a swig. "To his death!" A small cheer went up around the lounge from that remark.

Peppy looked among his teammates, wishing he wasn't the one who had to put some common sense into this celebration. "While I wish I could say otherwise, you have to keep in mind that taking down Andross might not put an end to this war. Just delay it until another leader rises to power."

The avian shook his head. "Why must you always ruin our fun?"

"Lay off, Falco," butted in Fox. "He's got a point."

"Yeah, yeah."

Slippy watched the TV from his seat, reading the closed captioning info at the bottom of the screen as the volume was muted to avoid interruptions. "Take a look, everyone. The news has on the first relief shipment to Katina."

The team turned in their seats to see the broadcast. "Turn it up, Slip," said Fox.

"…from Katina Starport, where the first of many promised relief convoys has just docked, bringing supplies and needed goods to this war-ravaged planet." The camera panned and showed a large collection of citizens, quite a few carrying signs showing their thanks to the team. "As you can see, the populace is eternally grateful to the Starfox team for their efforts in restoring this world back to its former greatness."

He turned the volume back down. "That gives me such a warm feeling inside."

"It should, Slippy," said Fara. "You guys have done a damn good job so far bringing peace back to the system." She sighed. "I just wish I could have joined you."

Fox shook his head. "Don't say that. You're part of the team, and everybody knows that. Everybody."

"It…it's just so hard watching you all go out there and risk your lives, while I sit back and do nothing."

Peppy looked down into his mostly full cup as he swished the liquid around. "That's the problem with war, Fara. There are those whom have to go off to fight it, while there are those whom are forced to stay behind. As the saying goes – war is hell for everybody."

"That it is," said Fara quietly as she thought back to the day's events. "That it is."

Able to tell that his teammates were getting moody once more, Fox decided that it was time to end the evening's events. "All right, everyone, it's time to call it a night. We have a war to finish in the morning. See you at the usual time at Pepper's office."

The team said their goodnights and split off, each thinking of the morning that was rapidly approaching.

* * *

"Starfox team, as you no doubt know, this is it. This is the final battle." 

As they'd been doing almost every morning now, the five pilots had assembled once more in the General's meeting room. In a surprising move, the canine was actually on time for once and waiting for the team with a cup of coffee in one paw. "So, as expected, today's goals will be slightly different than the ones you're used to seeing."

The monitor behind Pepper powered up has he continued. "First and foremost is a fuel issue. The Arwings simply don't carry enough fuel to get to and from Venom. Especially with the expected combat ahead."

"Fortunately, the solution is an easy one." The blank screen changed to an orbital view of Katina. "Behold, the planet Katina."

Fara sighed as she wistfully looked at the image. "Such a wonderful vacation spot. Sandy beaches as far as the eye can see, and—"

Pepper coughed. "Ms. Phoenix…"

She winced. "Sorry, sir."

"As I was saying, this is Katina. As the Arwings are incapable of being refueled in space, you'll have to make a landing somewhere. This planet happens to be the most logical place to do so, due to its relative proximity to Venom."

"I take it that was part of the relief convoy sent there yesterday" asked Fox. "We saw it on the news."

"You are correct."

Peppy took a sip of the coffee that the General had provided to the team as usual and thought of the events that transpired yesterday. "Are we going to have any defenses around us while we refuel"

"After yesterday's little incident—"

"Incident my ass," muttered Falco.

Pepper stared at the avian in discontent, but continued without interruption. "—I wouldn't dare risk you on what should be a friendly planet without protection. The Transport Horizon arrived at your landing zone a little over an hour ago. They'll provide the necessary cover if needed."

"What's our mission goal on Venom?" asked Fox, eager to get into battle.

With a touch of a button, the screen changed to what looked to be a live shot of Venom, its surface hidden from view by a covering of greenish-brown smog. "In addition to dropping a series of probes around the planet upon victory, your objectives are two-fold here, requiring you to divide and conquer."

"I don't like this already. Why?"

"I'll get to that in just a minute. This," the image behind him changed once more, "is a computer reproduction of what looks to be the main base. In an oddity however, there seems to be no ground entrance, only what looks to be an oversized launch bay on top. The first team's goal is to open that door by any means necessary, destroying Andross in the process."

Pepper quieted for a moment, drinking his coffee as he allowed the team to think over what he'd said. The screen switched to yet another computer-generated model as he continued. "However, there is one problem, bringing us to our second team. This base is protected by an immense energy shield, generated by this power station pictured behind me."

Fox looked confused. "So what's the problem then?"

"Destruction of that station is not an option."

"What?"

"As our scans show that this is the only source of power in what looks to be the capital of the planet, destroying that station would likely kill everybody there due to the planet's hostile atmosphere. We've detected multiple atmospheric generators giving life to the city."

"What are we supposed to do then?" asked Fox, trying to figure out their objective. If his guess was right, he didn't like where this was going one bit.

"As the second team, your goal is to land outside the station and disable the generator long enough for the first team to gain entrance. We've found the perfect—"

To say that the team found this plan to be an unacceptable one was an understatement. "You're nuts!" yelled Falco, first to speak his mind as usual. "After all they've done to us, all that they've destroyed, we can't get any revenge?"

Pepper's response was swift. "We do not commit genocide, mister."

"What about all the damn pilots we've blown up? What's that?"

"Those were warriors, my avian friend," said Peppy, displaying more of his wisdom. "Warriors are allowed to die in battle, to die for their cause. Not the innocent population. There's a difference."

Falco threw his paws into the air in disgust, noticing how quiet his leader was. "I can't believe you're going to agree to this, Fox! The only fucking advantage we have are the Arwings! Putting us on the ground is a bad idea!"

It took a few seconds, but the vulpine finally told everyone his thoughts. "While I see your point, Falco—"

"Thank you."

"—I also have to agree with what Peppy is saying. We aren't barbarians."

"Ass."

"Pepper, is there anything you want to add?"

The General had been sitting there the entire time, his eyes closed as he listened to the pilots argue. There wasn't much he could say that would have turned them civil, so he was waiting for them to quiet down. "I have a few things actually. First off, it'll be night during the attack, providing additional cover. Second, is that we've found a complex of some sort for you to land in right next to your goal, all of which is located on the outskirts of the city itself."

"On top of that, we have all the equipment necessary for quickly disabling that power plant. Get in, activate the devices, and run. Nothing to it at all." Pepper looked hopeful as he finished, knowing the plan was sound, albeit dangerous.

"Why can't you send in the Horizon, or some other military assault craft?" asked Fox.

"Too many anti-air defenses scattered throughout the city and beyond." The monitor showed what exactly he was talking about. "An Arwing could easily avoid them, but the slower and less agile transport craft we have access too wouldn't."

"Fuck," muttered Falco.

It was at this point that Fox realized what he'd have to do, something he'd done in the past during times of indecision. "Team, it's time for an executive decision. Yes or no with the plan as described."

Peppy was always the first at these decisions, a position he never really liked. "It's most definitely dangerous, don't get me wrong, but we've been through worse in our time on Papetoon. Yes."

"You already know my opinion," said Falco. "You want us to drop inside hostile territory, leaving our Arwings vulnerable, even if it is for only a few minutes, plant a few charges or something, and then get out of there? No way are we going to get through that shitfest without problems. No."

Slippy was quiet as usual as he thought everything through. "As much as I don't like this overall, I don't think that I could live with myself if we caused the deaths of that many people. Yes."

Falco cursed softly as he already knew what Fox's decision was going to be. But instead, the vulpine stayed quiet, waiting for someone else's thoughts. After a few moments, he realized that it wasn't coming. Looking over, he said, "Fara?"

"Huh?"

"Your turn."

She was about to say something about how she wasn't going with them, therefore her opinion shouldn't matter. But after noticing the seriousness in his eyes, she knew her opinion was wanted. "It's not a safe plan for anyone involved. However, I can't think of a better one at the moment, and Andross must go down. My vote is yes."

"You already know my vote in this matter," said Fox. "Andross' tyranny ends today, so the decision has passed." He listened to Falco grumble next to him, but he knew that he wouldn't complain any further. "Pepper, is there anything else you need from us"

He nodded. "Yes. I need to know your team selection so we can properly equip you."

Fox looked around the room as he had already made that choice. "Falco, Slippy, you're going after that power station. Peppy, I need your experience with me."

Now the avian was even more upset. "My place is—"

"Watching Slippy's back as both of you disable that power station. And that is final." Falco went silent upon hearing this as he knew that there was very little he could do to change Fox's mind. "Pepper, are we set to go? We have a mission to do."

The General looked over the pilots and wondered if it was the last time that he'd see them all. The mission had to be done and Andross had to be stopped. He hoped it wasn't going to cost him his pilots to do so. "You're done here. Good luck, Starfox team."

The pilots stood up, ready to get onward with their mission. They were momentarily stopped however, as Fara told them, "Everyone, please be careful. I want to see you get through this one. All of you. Watch yourselves."

"We will," said Fox, smiling at the attention as he took a good look at Fara, making sure he wouldn't forget her furred face. "I promise you that. See you when we get back." The vulpine suddenly had a flashback to his younger years, of a time when his father almost said the exact same line to him.

Unfortunately, that promise wasn't kept. He just hoped that could keep this one as he left for his Arwing.

* * *

It wasn't long before the Arwings came up on Katina, its massive green forests and dark blue seas clearly visible even from this distance. As they drew closer however, they could quickly tell that all was not what it seemed. 

The once glorious forests had multiple swaths cut through them, making it look like someone had taken a giant fist and dug at the ground itself. The seas were no longer their vibrant color, the signs of pollution clearly evident. As they neared their landing zone, the destruction of the environment continued into the cities, once tall buildings reduced to mere shells of concrete and steel.

It was a horrible thing to see. In addition, the team knew that the living conditions had to be even worse.

"Wow." said Slippy quietly as the other pilots looked around, utterly stunned. "And I thought Papetoon looked bad."

"No kidding, Slip," said Fox. While the team had been here before, they hadn't had the time to simply look around at the general condition of the planet, as they'd been too busy fighting for their lives. "It just shows how good of a job we did defending out little desert home."

"Yeah."

Spotting their objective in the distance, he figured he might as well get this part of the mission started. "Transport Horizon, this is Fox McCloud. Requesting landing clearance."

The transport's commander was quick to respond, and it brought a smile to the vulpine's face as her image appeared on the screen. "McCloud, this is the Horizon. You're clear to land. Welcome back."

"Thanks. It's good to be back. Which reminds me… Horizon, with your permission, I'd like to land only a pair of Arwings at a time for refueling. It'll be slower but safer."

"Noted and understood. We are in a rather desolate area right now, but I understand your reasons. Send on down who you want, and we'll do the rest."

"Thanks. Fox out."

* * *

After finding out about the incident that the Starfox team had the previous day, Ayne had changed her landing plans and chose a place away from the nearest town. She had settled her transport in a small valley a few miles away, close enough that she could easily get anything if her crew needed it, but far enough to make it feel like they were in the middle of nowhere. 

She watched the computer readouts that showed the Arwings approaching and switched her view to one out the cockpit window as they came into view. Unlike last time she had met the team, she was fully prepared for anything that might happen. Half of her troop compliment were scattered amongst the trees and small hills surrounding her craft, ensuring their protection.

Two of the Arwings broke off from the group and came to a landing close to the transport. Wasting no time, her soldiers ran out to usher the pilots back into the safety of the Horizon, while others stayed outside to refuel their craft.

Ayne took a good look at the newcomers, which were Falco and Slippy, and tried to determine what made them so special, tried to see why Pepper entrusted them with the most powerful craft Corneria had ever created. She had tried that when she encountered the team last time, but like before, no answer came to her. They seemed so normal, albeit battle-hardened.

Shrugging, she showed them around her ship and kept them occupied as their craft were refueled. Falco stayed quiet, his thoughts on the battle ahead, but Slippy was full of questions, seemingly enjoying the tour. She was more than happy to answer them, as it had been a long time since she had seen anyone as inquisitive as the toad was.

She was interrupted by a report over her headset, informing her that the Arwings were ready to launch once more. Not wanting to waste any further time, she lead the pilots back to their craft, her soldiers giving them the same escort back out.

* * *

At the same time, somebody else was watching over the Starfox team, but for an entirely different reason. And via a method not normally used by the general populace. 

Through a sniper scope.

A female raccoon lay on the ground just shy of three-quarters of a mile away from the Horizon, her light red fur a dark contrast against the bushes she was underneath for cover. She watched the pilots disembark from their craft, one finger caressing the trigger of her weapon, and waited for the right moment to fire.

Falco and Slippy had come and gone from her sights, not giving her much of an opportunity to fire. But she was waiting for a much better target, the moment where she could take out the entire offensive of the Lylat system in a single shot.

She was waiting for Fox McCloud.

* * *

Noticing the approaching troops, Fox waited for them to arrive before he dropped the shields of the Arwing. He the popped open the cockpit and vaulted to the dirt below with one swift move. The four soldiers took up a tight formation around the vulpine as they quickly escorted him inside the Horizon. Meeting up with the lioness inside, he asked, "Expecting any problems, Ayne?" 

The commander shook her head. "No. But after what happened last time, we can't be too careful."

Fox nodded and thought back to what had happened to them all last time they'd met on the battlefield. Being the target of sniper fire wasn't exactly the best thing for his health. "That's the truth. So, how goes the ground war for you and your soldiers?"

"Pretty good actually, McCloud. For the most part, once you and your team demolished the vehicle-based defenses on the worlds we've visited, any remaining hostiles simply didn't have much fight in them." She smiled. "I can't imagine why."

"Without advanced vehicle and air suppor,t" started Peppy, "your average soldier realizes just how unimportant he is in battle, and would rather give up than fight to the death."

The vulpine laughed, wondering just how his teammate continued to think up these crazy sayings of his. "Exactly. I think."

Ayne smiled, surprised to see the pair with such a different attitude than the others, especially with such a difficult mission staring at them. "How goes the war from your end?"

"As good as it can be," replied Fox.

"Thankfully, it's almost over," added Peppy. "As many others before me have said – war is hell."

"That it is, old friend. That it is."

The three remained quiet after that, the silence broken not too long afterward by Ayne's headset. "Your Arwings have been refueled. I'll await the good news of your victory from here."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

With that the pilots left, escorted just as closely as they were before. Halfway down the gangplank, Fox realized he had one more question on his mind. As Peppy continued on, he turned around and asked, "Ayne, do you know anything about Venom?"

She shook her head. "Other than the simple fact that I wouldn't send my troops to their deaths by going there myself, I have little to tell you."

He sighed. "Great."

* * *

"Perfect." 

The raccoon had noticed how Fox had come to a complete stop, giving her a shot that she simply couldn't miss. Making sure of her aim, she exhaled and went through the motions that she had been through so many times before.

"Nice knowing you, McCloud."

She pulled the trigger.

* * *

Fox turned back around, suddenly feeling a cold shiver travel down his spine. As he did, a squawk echoed across the valley as one of the larger carrion birds native to the planet plummeted to the ground a couple hundred yards in front of him. In addition, he heard an unmistakable cling of metal striking metal on the transport behind him. 

Not again.

He bolted towards his Arwing and scrambled in while yelling a warning for those around him. He then slammed the button to close the canopy and activated the defensive systems as Ayne's voice was heard through his headset. "We've already spotted the sniper and are dealing with her."

"Damn it, Ayne!" The fact that he'd been almost killed twice in two days while in supposed friendly territory wasn't sitting well with him. "Do you need our assistance"

"No, we have it well under control."

"Wait…she? Is this a native of Venom?"

"No."

Fox cursed mentally. This was the last thing he needed to hear. It didn't bode well at all as far as a relatively quiet future went, not to mention team morale. "Are you—"

"Yes, I'm sure. Get out there and save the galaxy. That's an order."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

The raccoon cursed as her perfect shot was accidentally intercepted by a damn bird, and then deflected just enough because of it to actually miss. She was about to cock another round into her rifle when she heard multiple demands from nearby for her to drop her weapon and freeze. 

She opened her other eye and carefully pulled her face away from her scope. Surrounding her on three sides was a triad of soldiers, each with a weapon pointed her way.

"Get off the ground with your paws above your head!"

She sighed. Three armed guards was something she could take care of, but as she cautiously glanced around, she spotted more advancing soldiers. The odds were quickly becoming unbalanced against her.

And she needed to tell Andross of what was coming his way.

She got to her feet and raised her paws up as ordered, but not before swiping a flash grenade off of her chest. She waited just a moment for the trio to get a bit closer before she closed her eyes and dropped the device.

Even through her sealed eyes, she witnessed the bright flash. Blinking rapidly to recover her eyesight, she was pleased to see that the guards were stumbling about blindly under the effects of the grenade.

She leaned down and quickly recovered her sniper rifle before running towards safety. She thought that fate had simply fallen into her hands when the transport landed less than a mile from her hideout in the woods. She had such hopes that she could end the war with a single bullet.

Instead, due to a single bird, Fox McCloud was now one of the only people that she'd set her eyes on that had escaped her grasp. At least she had some information for Andross, information that he would hopefully find useful in defending Venom.

* * *

"Okay, guys, everybody wake up." 

The planet Venom occupied most of their view as the Arwing's retros fired and brought the craft to a relative stop. Unlike the rest of the planets in the system that they had traveled to, this one was covered by a thick layer of what looked like greenish-brown smog, obscuring the ground below.

"Home, sweet home," said Falco sarcastically. "At least for some crazed ape and his cronies anyway."

"Cut the chatter," said Fox. "Does anybody see any sort of defenses out there?" A round of negatives reached his ears. "This doesn't make any sense."

"One's palace is always the most defended," said Peppy as he found another saying for the situation. "If they are obvious or not, there's always something out there for protection."

"Maybe we scared away his defenders," said Slippy.

"Or kicked all their asses in prior battles," suggested Falco.

"I highly doubt that" said the vulpine. Seeing their goal completely undefended worried him greatly. The fact that he couldn't see the planet's surface didn't help either, as he had no idea what lay beneath the smog. But he had a mission to do. "Guys, follow me. We're moving onward. Keep an eye out for anything."

The pilots advanced around to the dark side of the planet, guided by the objective information programmed into their computers. Much to their surprise, they continued to see absolutely no defenders, automated or otherwise, threatening their path. It was like the planet itself was uninhabited, offering no resistance at all.

A private message from one of his teammates interrupted his worried thoughts. "What's on your mind, Peppy?"

"I don't like this one bit. It's quiet. Too quiet."

"Same here." Fox looked around, still unable to believe that they hadn't seen a single hostile yet. "Any thoughts?"

"Something is terribly wrong. Considering that you'd somehow escaped death via yet another sniper bullet, I'd expect some kind of welcoming party out here."

"I know."

"Why didn't you inform the team about what happened?"

"It was the last thing they needed to hear as far as morale went." He sighed. "Then again, I was expecting some kind of fight out here, too. Keep watch."

"Understood."

With a soft tone, the computer indicated that they had arrived at their destination. Their next goal was to head straight towards the planet surface and finish their mission. As their engines powered down, the Arwings were left in total darkness, the planet itself blocking any source of light.

"It's time to win this war," said Fox quietly. "Let's go kick some—"

His inspirational speech was interrupted by a low warning tone from his computer, indicating that it had detected something massive approaching through the smog layer. As usual, Slippy was the first to decipher the long-range sensor readings. "Incoming battleship!"

"Just one?" laughed Falco. "Who's that ape kidding?"

"Himself if he thinks that's going to stop us. Full throttle—" Once again he was interrupted by the same tone.

Before he could say anything, he was stopped by it once more.

And then he heard it again.

"Three more battleships!" stated Slippy.

"I don't like this," said Peppy.

"No shit!" muttered Falco. "Looks like bonehead has an ace in the hole. We can still take them."

Fox looked over the hostile craft via his sensors. They had come to a halt as well, as if waiting for the Arwings to make the first move. His teammate was correct in his statement though, as he knew that they could take on the targets presented to them, even though it would leave them greatly weakened for the battle ahead.

He knew what he had to do. This war was going to end today.

Unfortunately, Andross wasn't willing to play along.

Their computers buzzed multiple times, announcing the arrival of even more defenders, eliciting a near-panicked comment from the normally calm Peppy. "By the Creator!"

"I count nine battleships!"

"Holy shit!" cursed Falco. "No damn way!"

The vulpine stared at his sensor readings, trying to comprehend the sheer amount of firepower that Andross had bearing down upon them. The ships blocked their path towards the planet, and even if he tried to go around them, they would still provide an insurmountable obstacle when they arrived at their mission goal.

As he continued looking at the information, every warning light his screen was capable of displaying suddenly lit up. Trying to make sense of the data, as at this range the computer wasn't exactly sure what it had detected, he asked, "What are we looking at, Slip?"

The pilots stared out into the darkness in front of them, trying to catch a better glimpse of what was approaching them. It almost looked like small pinpricks of light moving around slightly, as if they were homing in on them. But were they fighter craft or— "Missile lock!" hollered Slippy. "Incoming missiles! Lots of them!"

Falco started spouting obscenities at their situation as Fox quickly took command. "How many?"

"I can't tell! Once they get closer I will, but…there's a ton out there!"

Peppy was still the only one with a relatively cool head, even though he was practically staring death in the face. "What are your orders, Fox? We're behind you whatever you choose."

"Against—"

"Not now, Falco!" Fox looked around at his friends, his teammates, and then glanced at the blob of hostiles approaching them via radar. His team was nothing short of outstanding, that much he knew, but with everything stacked against them right now, would they get out alive? Would any of them escape almost certain death? Who would be sacrificed just to succeed?

His response was as swift as the hostiles approaching them. "Team, form up. We're getting the hell out of here." He swung his craft around, the other pilots wasting no time in following him. "Fire Nova Bombs at them when we get some speed."

Affirmatives reached his ears as his booster rumbled with its power, trying to stay ahead of the incoming warheads. According to the computer, it was a battle that they were not winning. "Those are missiles," confirmed Slippy, "and they're gaining!"

"I see that, Slip," said Fox, his fingers moving as fast as they could on the monitor. "I'm making a quick hop to lightspeed as soon as I can get the info plugged in. Keep us covered."

The team could now see the missiles as they grew closer, the glow of their engines giving away their location like a swarm of fireflies. Suddenly, the team broke out from behind Venom, the sunlight blinding them momentarily. Just as quickly, the warheads became visible as well, shocking the pilots as to the sheer number on their tails.

"You better hurry the hell up!" yelled Falco. "We aren't going to be here much longer!"

"I'm not as fast as Fara is when doing this manually!"

Now traveling at a high rate of speed, but still one far slower than the incoming ordinance, Falco cut his engine and spun around and let his momentum carry him forward. Taking aim at the lead set of missiles, he fired a Nova Bomb.

The weapon streaked through the darkness of space like an angel of light, its aim true. It struck the lead warhead head on, the missile and everything around it vanishing under the bright glare of the explosion. Before the effect subsided however, more missiles shot through the debris and continued their deadly advance towards the pilots.

Peppy and Slippy were about to twist around to do the same when they were stopped by Fox. "I got it! Hold on!"

Wasting no further time, the vulpine fired up the FTL drive for the team. The Arwings turned slightly and then vanished in a brief flash of light, the missiles behind them crossing their flight path just seconds later.


	39. The First Failure

For those of you who read the comic so long ago, you might see a scene or two that looks familiar. As I stated in my introduction so very long ago, I wanted to merge a few of what I felt were the more important scenes into my comic. This chapter, and the next, is the last time I'll be doing that. Completely original the rest of the way.

Janus - don't worry, this fic isn't ending that quickly. Andross still needs to get his ass kicked.

* * *

**Chapter 39: The First Failure**

_Well, it finally happened – our advance was stopped. We were so damn close as well. I wonder what our next move will be…_ – Fox

_How the hell did Andross know we were coming? Where the hell did he get those reinforcements from? There's no damn way we can get past those kinds of defenses._ – Falco

_I could almost see Fox's thoughts back there. He was seriously considering attacking, even though we didn't have a chance at winning. And that really worries me._ – Peppy 

With a series of computer tones announcing their arrival, the four Arwings slowed to a halt some distance above Corneria. The team had been silent most of their journey home, unable to believe their failure so close to ultimate victory. It was disheartening to the four, as they had expected the war to be over by now.

Instead, they had failed.

They sat there and watched the planet slowly rotate in the distance, trying to figure out what exactly went wrong, or if there was something they could have done differently. But try as they might, no conclusions came to them, leaving the four in a depressive mood.

Out of the corner of his eye, something caught Fox's attention and drew him out of his sullen thoughts. As he turned his craft and tried to pinpoint what exactly he saw, the rest of the team noticed him drifting off. "Fox, what's wrong?" asked Peppy.

"There's something…" He quieted upon spotting a brief flash of light in the distance. "I'm seeing some kind of light out there."

"There's a dramatic increase in space traffic due to the war being almost—"

"That's not it." Thinking it was something natural that had caught his eye, he pulled up the star charts of the region. Plugging in his heading as he noticed another flash of light, it didn't take the computer long to come up with what seemed to be the only possible answer.

The only thing in that direction was the Black Hole.

The place where he'd lost his father so many years ago.

"Guys, there's something I want to take a look at. Go ahead and land. I'll meet you later." Without waiting for a response, Fox turned and boosted off, suddenly wanting to see the place of James' demise firsthand.

Not understanding what his teammate was so interested in, Peppy turned and followed as the others moved to land. Tagging along behind, he tried to find out where he was going as he looked through the navigation charts himself.

"Peppy, why are you following me?"

"Because it's unusual for you to run off like this."

"I'm fine. I just want to look at something."

With a series of beeps, Peppy's computer tracked down his destination. He suddenly grew very concerned as to his course. "Fox, where are you going?"

"I told you before – I saw some lights over here."

"The only thing that's in that direction is the Black Hole."

Fox quickly grew aggravated with the hare, as he wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. "And your point is?"

"It's dangerous."

"Just…just leave me alone. I'll be fine."

"Fox, I—"

With a grunt of frustration he reached over and killed the communication. He just wasn't in the mood to listen to any words of wisdom from his teammate. They'd lost the pivotal fight, the fight that would have won the war, and the hare's attitude hadn't changed in the slightest. He should be just as disappointed as the rest of the team was. Instead, he was chasing after the ones who wanted to be alone.

He continued in silence and watched the flashing lights in the distance, trying to determine what he was seeing. A few minutes passed before his computer finally identified what had caught his attention – a few buoys.

The oversized red objects hung stationary in space, a pair of lights flashing every few seconds to draw notice. Even with his communications turned off, his computer told him of their message, warning anybody who passed by of the severe dangers of the navigational hazard sitting nearby.

Fox came to a halt near one of the buoys and looked into the darkness of space where the Black Hole was. He knew that he wasn't going to see anything, but it gave him time to think about what might had been.

It had been only a few short years when he last saw his father, telling him about his latest extraneous mission for some bonus funds. It was from what was then the head of the academy, a name that he'd cursed ever since – Andross.

Even back then, Andross was somebody who was feared by a large portion of the students. While he was highly intelligent, leading a group of researchers within the school itself, he was someone you did not want to get on the bad side of. While Fox personally hadn't ever been in trouble, he'd known a few students who had.

According to his father, the mission was simple – pick up what was called a Gravity Bomb from the academy and detonate it well away from any planet in the system. It theory it was supposed to be eventually used to help restore the planet Macbeth to its former glory.

Instead, it had been modified beyond its original design as a way to get rid of James McCloud once and for all. The void in front of him was the result.

Bringing himself back to the present with a shake of his head, he gazed out into the stars once more and tried to figure out what he was doing out here. His team was waiting for him back home, and Peppy had come to a stop nearby, making sure that he didn't attempt anything rash.

A slight smile came to his face as his goal came to him suddenly. While he had visited his parents' graves occasionally since their deaths, he'd never been to the place where his father vanished. He figured it was as good as time as any to say a few words.

"Hey, Dad, it's Fox. Look…I'm sorry that I haven't visited you or Mom in quite some time, but as you know, I've been quite busy. I've been going after Andross like I promised. I was close to winning today. So damn close…"

He sighed. "I still intend to take that blasted ape down, but I don't know how. He's got his planet walled up tight, and he seems to know we're coming. I promise you, however, I will get my revenge for both of you."

He closed his eyes, almost on the verge of tears. "I just…wish you were here. Mom too. How I miss you both. Life…hasn't been the same without you."

"Well…I gotta go. Peppy's bugging me to no end, but that's just his way. If there was only…" Quieting, he realized that there was an answer to his unfinished comment. Spinning his craft around, he programmed the probe he had sitting in the small cargo hold and set its course to enter the Black Hole. "Here, Dad, have something to show we're still thinking of you."

Without another word, the probe drifted out of the bay and waited until it was a short distance away before the lone thruster fired up. It slowly flew off, heading straight towards its demise, transmitting data back home the entire time. "See you later, Dad. Say hi to Mom for me."

Not wanting to watch the probe's final moments, he fired up the engine and started back home. Debating on traveling in silence, he concluded that he might as well relieve the worry in his teammate. "Hey."

As expected, the hare sounded extremely concerned over his unusual actions. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

"If I may ask, what was that about?"

"Just…just something that I needed to do."

Peppy stayed silent and hoped to get a better explanation. He finally spoke up, as he realized he wasn't going to get one. "You know, Pepper's going to be rather upset with you wasting a probe like that."

Fox laughed. "If that's his biggest concern, his priorities are really screwed up."

"True. Well, if you need to talk, I'm always available." 

"I know, Peppy, I know. Thanks."

* * *

Fox had to repress a sigh as he looked among the staff in the center of the base. He could see the disappointment on their faces as he told them of his failed mission, of how close they had come to winning the war. He didn't blame them one bit. "And that's how it went, General. Any thoughts?"

The normally stoic canine frowned as he thought through the situation. "It seems that Andross knew of your approach somehow."

"That's an understatement," muttered Falco.

He continued, ignoring the snide remark as usual. "Unfortunately, as you already know, the Arwings simply don't have the fuel capacity to reach Venom and still have sufficient resources to fight with. You need to land somewhere to refuel first."

"There's no external fuel design or something?" asked Fox, not telling how he knew exactly why Andross knew of their approach.

"No," said Fara. "It was always assumed that the Arwings wouldn't be used to cross the system in a single shot. Either that or they'd be based on a mobile mothership of some sorts."

"Could one be designed and built?"

She nodded. "Something could be jury-rigged, but it would take time to do. They'd also create a rather severe weak point as well unless it could be detached in mid-flight."

"Time is something we simply don't have however," interrupted Pepper. "Andross has a significant power base assembled on Venom, and delaying any further could allow him to create an even larger defensive fleet."

"Delaying the inevitable is never a good thing," added Peppy. "It causes increased tensions on both sides, and allows the defender to fortify his defenses even further."

Falco groaned. "Can't you ever say something we can all understand?"

Fox shook his head, wondering once more how his old friend managed to always think up his almost useless lines on the fly. "While we may not always understand Peppy, this time around I do. And I completely agree with his point. We can't simply wait around here for Andross' next move."

"So what the hell are we going to do, oh great glorious leader?"

"Your mocking tone is very annoying."

"Yeah, so? What the hell are we going to do?"

Left without an answer of any sort, Fox was grateful for an unexpected interruption. "Sirs?" asked Celine quietly from her station, not sure if she should butt in.

Everyone in the room turned at the query, thankful for a quick end of what looked to be another argument between the pilots. "What's wrong, Celine?" asked Pepper.

"Sir, I'm receiving probe telemetry data."

"How's—"

"From Venom."

"What!"

In a flash, Gary ran over to a nearby terminal and punched in his access codes. His mouth opened agape in shock as he looked at the data. "By the Creator…"

"Now what's wrong?" moaned the avian.

Gary just shook his head as he started with what he saw. "General, remember when Fox launched his probe into the Black Hole not too long ago?"

Pepper turned towards the vulpine. "I do. I was going to ask—"

"Not now. The probe…it's back."

Gasps of shock were heard around the room. The command staff knew that no probe had ever returned from the depths of the Black Hole when they first started to investigate it. The fact that it had, and ended up on the other side of the system, made absolutely no sense to them. "How?" asked Pepper. "What condition is the probe in?"

Gary's fingers flew over the keyboard as he looked up the information. "The probe is very beat up, looking like it's been sheared apart by gravimetric—" As if on cue, the stream of data disappeared, leaving them looking at a blank screen. "It just self-destructed. I have some data though."

"But a black hole simply doesn't work that way," said Slippy as he wandered around in thought. "There's been speculation, but…"

Peppy sat down in a nearby chair and focused his thoughts. "Unless…unless it isn't a black hole."

"What's on your mind, you two?" asked Fox as he watched the pair with his arms crossed. "What could—"

"A wormhole," said Peppy suddenly, ignoring the others in the room short of the toad.

Falco's eyes scrunched in confusion. "A worm what?"

"A wormhole," stated Slippy, saying it slow enough so the avian would hopefully understand. "A rip in the very fabric of space itself, allowing objects to pass through and reappear elsewhere, whether it be in the same system or one far away. It's never been physically proven that it actually exists though."

Peppy's eyes raised in disbelief. "Impressive, Slippy. Never knew that advanced physics was your forte."

He smiled in response. "Just something that I took on the side as I went through the academy."

"The important question however is if it's stable or not. If it is, we have a potential avenue to approach Andross from. If not, who knows where we'll end up."

Fox's eyes lit up, as if he'd found the solution to all their problems. "It should be stable considering we just sent something through not too long ago, right?"

"In theory, maybe."

"And the Arwings are carrying what's basically a portable gravity generator, right?"

"Yes," replied Fara, worried as to where this line of questioning was going. "What's your point?"

"We have the means to kick Andross' ass, and now we have a way to surprise him on his home turf. He may have stopped us once, but he will not do so again!"

Falco looked upon his leader with shock, knowing exactly what he meant to do. "You're nuts."

Like everybody else, Fox ignored the avian and pressed on with his speech. "I'm going through the Black Hole, and I'm going to give that hairy ape the surprise of his life. Who's with me on this?"

His response was anything but enthusiastic, stunned silence and shaking heads meeting his view.

"I'm going to get Andross if it kills me. And if you don't want to help, then the hell with you all!" With one swift motion he left, no longer caring about those he called his teammates.

"Junior, this is madness!" yelled Pepper.

"The name's Fox! Not Junior!" Wasting no further time, he ran out of the control room, his boots pounding hard on the floor in anger.

The pilots looked among themselves and tried to figure out what to do. "Fox is beyond reason and he'll kill himself unless we stop him!" stated Peppy.

"I know," replied Falco, cracking his knuckles with a grim look on his face.

"What're you thinking?" 

"In the academy, there was only one way to cool Fox down. Come on."

* * *

With a huff, Fox watched as the elevator doors slowly swished open, giving him plenty of time to stir in his own anger. He couldn't believe that his team was abandoning him like this, with their goal and a means to accomplish it right in front of them. Sure, it was dangerous, but they'd done stunts like this before.

Was this one just too crazy though? He didn't think so.

He jogged over to his Arwing and met up with Cyrus, who picked up a toolbox as he approached. "Afternoon, lad." He gestured behind him. "Taking her out for a spin again so soon?"

Fox nodded. "Yes."

"She's fueled up and ready to go." Turning around, the badger raised his voice to make sure he was heard. "Lads, outgoing Arwing! Clear the flight deck!"

Taking one quick look around him, thinking that this might be the last time he saw the peaceful confines of Corneria Base, he reached over and pressed the hidden buttons to extend the ladder. Reaching the top step, he was about to climb in when he heard Falco say, "Wait."

He turned and saw the rest of the Starfox team standing nearby, their faces blank. The avian was in the front, apparently taking command for the moment. He wondered if they were here to help, or if there was something far more on their minds. Either way, he was willing to give his friends one last chance. He dropped to the floor and asked, "What do you want, Falco?"

"A lot of things, but mainly a commander with some common sense."

Now he knew that they were just here to talk to him. And he didn't want to hear any of it. "We have to hit Andross hard and fast, and this is the perfect way to do it! You can't stop me!"

Falco slowly approached, arms at his side, his face still expressionless. "Maybe not, but you're going to have to take…this!" With a grunt, he brought his right paw forward and slammed it into Fox's stomach. As the vulpine dropped to his knees in shock and pain, Falco swung his other paw around and hit him again, this time toppling him over from the blow.

Fox was left utterly dumbfounded and gasping for breath, trying to comprehend what was happening to him. His mind couldn't grasp the concept of his friends of many years suddenly attacking him like this, leaving him unable to defend himself from Falco's blows.

The avian dragged him to his feet via the front of his flight jacket. "I won't let you destroy yourself, Fox!" This time he gave him a right hook across the face, connecting with Fox's cheek.

He dropped to the ground like a rock, his eyelids fluttering as he tried to stay conscious. Knowing that his friends had abandoned him, he happened to look Fara's way and pleaded with his eyes to get her to stop the fight. There was nothing more he could do. His body had given up.

Seeing some life left in him, Falco leaned down to pick up Fox once more. Fara took one look at her terrified teammate lying limp in the avian's paws, and realized it was up to her to do something. "Stop it, Falco!"

Falco didn't either hear her, or was too deeply entrenched in his position of power to want to stop. As he pulled back his paw for one final blow, Peppy roared, "That's enough!"

Coming to his senses, Falco stayed his attack, holding Fox upright as blissful unconscious overcame the groaning vulpine. Unable to contain herself any longer over what she thought was an unnecessary fight, Fara turned and ran as tears welled up in her eyes. "What's wrong with her?" asked Falco.

"What do you think, dumbass?" replied Slippy, disgusted in how he had to watch the fight.

"Why you little—"

"You're in no position to argue!" interrupted Peppy as he put himself in front of Falco and took command. "Slippy, help out the engineering staff." The toad nodded. "Falco, we'll put Fox into solitary to let him cool down. Something you can use as well it seems."

"Humph," muttered the avian. "Just like old times though." 

Peppy sighed, wondering once more if Falco had any sense in that head of his. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

With a grunt, Falco dropped Fox onto the padded bed inside the small holding cell. "Damn, are you heavy," he groaned as he straightened back up. He looked at his commander and shook his head. "Sorry, friend, but this is for your own good." Finally, he turned around and met Peppy outside the cell. "You think this plan of his is going to work?"

The hare closed the cell door and made sure it was locked. "The theory is sound. Unfortunately, wormholes are nothing but theory and speculation, as we've never encountered one up close like this until now. But if an unprotected probe made it through, there's no reason as to why an Arwing shouldn't."

"True." He gestured behind him as the pair walked off. "We gonna let Fox out before we leave?

Peppy stopped and closed his eyes for a moment in thought. "I don't know. Earlier today, over Venom, I could almost see his thoughts for a minute. If I didn't know better, I'd say that he was seriously considering attacking."

Falco looked over in shock. "We—"

"Would have been killed, I know. Just like what he tried to do today to himself."

"Damn fool. I can't blame him for hating Andross like that, but…"

Peppy nodded. "Fox would hate us for the rest of his days if we don't. But we'll see, Falco, we'll see."

"Yeah."

As the two pilots left, a third one shrank back into the shadows, making sure that she wasn't seen. After waiting a minute, she stepped out, her brown tail swishing from side to side in amusement from her stealthy actions. "They can't leave him behind," she muttered as she walked over to the empty room containing the holding cells.

Concerned as to the condition of her teammate, Fara peered through the lone window on the door. "Fox, are you okay?"

A few groans responded to her query and worried her greatly. "Fox?"

"Ugh. I…I'll live. What's going on out there?"

"Your team is making the adjustments to the Arwings right now." She paused for a moment, not sure if she should tell him what she heard. "And…they're debating not bringing you along for this ride."

"What?" The sound of the vulpine pounding on the door echoed throughout the hallway as his face appeared in the window. "Let me out!"

"Shhh!" She looked down at the control panel keeping the door shut. "I don't know the codes to open this door. However…"

"Yes?"

"I have a plan. Get some rest. I'll be back soon."

He stood there at the window and watched as Fara ran off. Left with nothing to do other than brood, he laid back down on the bed and winced in momentary pain. He poked and prodded where he was struck earlier and tried to see if anything was broken underneath.

Relief passed through him after a short while. As far as he could tell, his bruises were nothing more than that. He was grateful that Falco was aiming to disable instead of injure, as he knew firsthand just how powerful the avian was in paw-to-paw. His injuries were a clear reminder of that.

Closing his eyes, he thought through what had happened earlier and tried to figure out why his teammate had attacked him in the first place. Based on how the rest of the team had stood idly by, he guessed that the plan to beat the daylights out of him was an accepted move. He just didn't know—

Suddenly, the answer came to him.

It was the second year of the Academy for Fox, and things had not been going well for him. The classes were difficult, the workload was overwhelming, and worst of all, his father was dogging his every mistake, as he knew that he could do better.

One wet afternoon, while he was walking back to his dorm after an especially difficult class, one of the fourth year students decided to bully the vulpine about his parents. About his mother, or lack thereof.

Fox's self-control shattered in an instant, the pent-up anger pouring out onto his opponent in the form of sharp blows and well placed kicks. Taken by surprise, the older lupine tried to defend himself, but Fox was as fast as the raindrops falling around them.

Afterwards, the vulpine looked over his handiwork. The gray wolf was a mess of small cuts and bruises, lying on the soaked grass like a cheap lawn ornament. Giving him one last kick for good measure, he turned and stormed back to his room.

Amazingly, nobody had seen the fight. When later questioned, the wolf insisted that he was jumped by four people, none of which he could identify. Questions were asked and students were interviewed, but in the end, Fox had gotten away scot-free.

Almost.

Falco had been looking out his dorm window at the time and had seen the entire fight. He knew from what little time that he'd known him that the vulpine had a temper, but it was kept under tight control. His control had obviously failed him, and in doing so threatened his entire existence at the Academy.

After discussing it with Fox's friends, it was decided that somebody needed to watch over him and make sure that this incident didn't happen again. As luck would have it, Falco was with him when it almost happened a second time, not two months later.

The pair had been talking about an incident that happened earlier in the day during one of their labs, where one of Fox's experiments had gone horribly wrong and set a small fire to the equipment itself. The teacher was more than ready to offer extra credit in an attempt to salvage the grade, but as far as the vulpine was concerned, it was one of the students' fault it happened in the first place.

Later that day, Falco somehow found out about Fox's intentions. Unlike the other two teammates on the Starfox team however, the avian knew and cared little for discussing this with Fox. Instead, he used what he knew best – his own fists.

The pair didn't talk for a month afterward, but it did get Fox thinking about what he had tried to do. As his father had repeatedly reminded him, "Violence never solves anything. Violence only causes more violence."

Fox laid there, thought about that line, and nursed his own injuries best he could. The realization about what he had almost done hit him like a pile of bricks, causing him to close his eyes and sigh as he thought about it. If he had gone out there alone, it would have accomplished nothing but his own death.

And now his team was considering leaving him behind because they didn't know if he could control his anger and hatred in the face of Andross. They needed a leader, not a crazed warrior who cared little about his own survival. 

He just wasn't sure if he could provide that right now.

* * *

Fara came running back into the holding cells, talking into her headset. "Is the team still down in engineering?" She paused. "Good. Look, I owe you two a lot. If there's anything—"

"Who're you talking to?"

She startled and looked up into Fox's face as he stared through the window. "Just a pair of friends that I owe quite a bit to right now."

"You here to get me out of this mess?"

"Yeah." She looked around and talked into her microphone. "If it's clear, we're ready."

Fox wondered who she was talking to, but ultimately didn't care as a series of loud clicks were heard throughout the room a short time later. It sounded like every lock in the cell block was opening up. He pushed the door open and looked into his rescuer's eyes with delight. He debated on hugging the vixen, but decided to give her a huge smile instead. "Thanks."

She nodded. "Anytime. Let's get out of here."

The pair ran as fast as they could through the winding hallways of the level they were on. The floor itself was unused by the base, as with the low staffing levels, everybody wanted to reside in a room with a view, instead of the underground rooms these passageways held.

Their muffled footsteps echoed through the silent halls along with their heavy breathing. Suddenly, Fara grabbed hold of Fox's wrist and yanked him to a halt. Before he could say anything, she dragged him into a darkened room whose door opened just a moment before. "Shhh," she whispered as the door shut behind them.

Fox grinned slightly at the close contact, but didn't want to say anything that could ruin his escape. "What's going on?" he asked quietly.

"There's somebody outside," she replied, trying her best to muffle her rapid breathing. The doors were relatively soundproof, but she didn't want to take any chances.

"Who?"

"No idea. There are no cameras on this floor. Only the usual sensor package." The door hissed open without warning and prompted her to continue. "Come on."

Needing no additional advice, Fox took off running once more. Somebody was going to know that he wasn't in his cell very shortly, and without him knowing what that person was going to do, or who it even was, he didn't want to be anywhere nearby.

They reached the elevator without further interruption, the bright white lighting a stark difference compared to the muted dimness in the hallways before. Blinking their eyes to adjust, they rode to the engineering bay, their anticipation building as they awaited their next move.

As their ride came to a stop, Fara turned around to explain what she'd been told via her headset. "Unfortunately, most of the engineering staff is still around the Arwings, so this next step is…hold on."

Fox still couldn't believe he was trusting this unknown person communicating to Fara. It hadn't led them astray yet though. "Yes?"

She stayed quiet and listened in on the other conversation. "Cool. Catch you both when I get back." She looked back towards the vulpine with a mischievous look on her face. "Falco and Peppy are at your Arwing. The staff has just moved back into their hangar, so we have a clear run short—"

He moved between her and the elevator exit. There was no way he was going to let Fara get involved in the mess he was going to create shortly. In addition, he didn't want her around during the final battle with Andross, incase things didn't go as planned. "Fara, I want you to stay here."

She was as shocked as he expected her to be from his statement. "What? Why?"

"Think for a moment. I'm basically stealing an Arwing. My team, along with Pepper, all thinks that I'm still in that cell. For your own sake, I don't want you to get involved. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"Fox, I—"

"Please." 

Fara looked deep into his green eyes and noticed the seriousness in his words and his gaze. As much as she wanted to get involved, she realized that he was right. While she'd worked around Pepper for some time now, she didn't have any idea how he'd react to the upcoming events. "All right." She sighed. "Be careful, okay?" 

"I will." The elevator door slid open, prompting him to turn and leave without another word. 

Standing there, watching Fox sneak his way through the engineering bay, Fara shook her head as she realized her teammate still wasn't thinking clearly. Somebody had to follow him, even if it was the rest of the team. "Like hell you're going alone," she muttered quietly as she moved off after him.

* * *

Falco leaned over the cockpit of Fox's Arwing and looked at Peppy below. As usual, he was complaining as things weren't going his way. "Where's that blasted toad? And where did Fara get off to?"

"Both are questions that I simply can't answer," replied the hare. He looked around and noticed the engineers move off to their protective haven nearby. "You ready for this mission?"

He guffawed in response. "To kick Andross' ass? Hell yes. As far as the Black Hole goes…"

He noticed the silence in his teammate and sensed his worry. "Yeah, traveling through there has me worried as—"

"I'm not worried," interrupted Falco, emphasizing his machismo and lack of concern. "I'm just gonna have to concentrate as we fly through that thing. This isn't going to be easy."

Suddenly, the avian heard some noise coming from the other side of his craft, almost as if somebody was climbing in. As he twisted in his seat, he found himself face to face with someone he didn't expect to see – Fox. "This'll be easy enough for you, Falco!"

Hearing some unexplained noise from the Arwing nearby, Peppy looked upwards with concern. "Falco, are—" With shock he watched as Falco tumbled overboard and fell on top of the startled hare. Extracting himself quickly, he tried to find some answers. "Who did this?"

His attention was drawn towards the craft once more, as Fox revealed himself to his teammate. "You all know I'm the only one qualified!"

"Fox!"

As the Arwing slowly took to the air, Peppy spun to another nearby craft has he heard it power up. "He's not the only one qualified!" said Fara as she quickly closed the canopy.

As the second Arwing lifted off, Slippy came running into the engineering bay, yelling desperately for attention. "Fox isn't in his cell! And Fara's not—"

Peppy sighed and held up one paw to quiet his teammate, using the other to point towards the rising craft. "I know."

Realization finally hit the toad as he noticed not only the departing Arwings, but Falco on the ground nearby. Reaching the pilots, he said quietly, "Good luck you two." 

At that moment, Falco's eyes snapped open and looked directly at the smoke and exhaust of the craft. Moving groggily to his feet, he yelled, "Stop them! Follow me!"

* * *

Now a couple hundred feet in the air, rapidly ascending towards the freedom of outer space, Fox noticed that he had another Arwing on his tail. He didn't even have to guess who it was. "What are you doing, Fara?"

She flipped her craft upside-down and watched as the base quickly vanished in the distance. "Every leader needs a team. And there's no way I'm letting you go out there alone." 

Fox sighed, wishing that she wasn't there behind him, doing the same foolhardy assault plan that he was. While he appreciated her help, he didn't want her risking her life as well. But there was no turning back now. "Come on then." 


	40. The Final Assault Revisited

And the assault upon Venom finally starts. That's if our pilots can get there in one piece, anyway. Look for the team's journey through the Black Hole, as well as a few more random lines from the comics, inside this chapter.

Sean - unfortunately, this is my only writing as of right now. Will I be writing more after this story is (finally) finished? That is still to be determined.

Didymus - don't worry, I'm not rushing through these chapters. I'm starting to get more free time on my hands (blame a boring job), so you should be seeing new updates a bit more often.

Janus - as far as any connections to Star Fox: Assault go, this story was mostly imagined before SF64 believe it or not. It's just taken this long to finally get to virtual paper. An interesting thought, though.

* * *

**Chapter 40: The Final Assault Revisited**

_This is it. I will not let Andross stop me a second time._ – Fox

_Was this the right move to make? There's no guarantees we'll live through this, but I can't let Fox go alone either._ – Fara

_Does that damn fool seriously think he can hog all the glory by going alone? No chance in hell._ – Falco

_While I might have lived a good, long life so far, the others are still too young. I hope we get through this one alive._ – Peppy

_Why can't I fly? I'm getting sick back here!_ – Slippy 

General Pepper sat quietly in the command center with a cup of coffee in one paw. While it was the middle of the afternoon, he hadn't been sleeping well lately thanks to his concerns about the war and needed the caffeine jolt to continue through his day. He was looking out one of the base's many windows when two Arwings suddenly shot past.

His confusion as to why there were only the two craft only grew as Celine yelled, "Unauthorized Arwing launch!"

"What?" he roared. "Who?"

"Unknown, sir!"

"Then find out!"

"Sir, I'm trying—" She was interrupted as the other two craft rocketed past, chasing after the first pair. It took her a few seconds of repeated requests into her headset before she got an answer. "Engineering reports it's the Starfox team!"

"Then—"

"All five pilots!" 

That left Pepper dumbfounded, as not only was Fox supposed to be in his cell still as far as he knew, but there were only the four craft. How could all five pilots be flying?

* * *

"I'm gonna croak back here! Let me fly!"

Peppy spared only a moment's glance towards the greener than usual toad before returning his view towards the front. There was no way he was going to let Slippy fly, not with the difficulties ahead of them. "Just hold still and breathe less. We have limited oxygen!"

"I can't believe it!" complained Falco, leading the trio. "I don't see Fox anywhere on radar. He must be at the Black Hole by now!"

"We'll get there in plenty of time," replied the hare. "They can't take on the whole planet by themselves."

"Yeah, you're right. As always." 

"Thanks." As the communication ended, Peppy took another look at his teammate and hoped his stomach would stay together. Otherwise, this would be a very long flight.

* * *

The navigation buoys floated past the speeding Arwings, continuously broadcasting their warnings to anybody who'd listen to them. These pilots were in no mood to follow their orders however, as they had a mission to do.

"Fara, are you sure—"

"Damn yes I'm sure." She'd quickly grown tired of Fox's attempts to get her to turn back. It was clear he wanted her out of harm's way, but there was no chance of her going back now. His safety was too important to her.

Fox sighed. Short of him attacking his teammate, there was no way he was going to chase her off. And that was an option that he'd never employ. Not to her. "All right then." He looked at his computer monitor and looked at the modifications the engineers had done to their craft. "Fire up the enhanced G-Diffusers."

Smiling slightly at his resignation, she did as she was told. "G-Diffusers are reporting 242 normal efficiency. Modified shielding is reporting green as well."

"Good." He looked into the depths of space where the poorly named Black Hole lie not too far in front of them. Ignoring the alarms that started to blare, warning him of the proximity of the hazard, he said quietly, "Let's do this." 

Firing their boosters, the two Arwings charged towards their destination. For a brief moment, a swirling array of colors was visible around them, as if waiting to engulf the pilots in its depths. A second later they vanished, the space they were occupying quickly returning to normal, leaving no trace of their passing.

* * *

Andross sat quietly in his command center as usual, smiling over his recent luck. Corneria's advance had come to complete halt thanks to his defensive fleet. He knew that there was no way the pitiful craft would get past them to threaten his base below.

Unfortunately, those ships were constructed very hastily to provide such a defense, and as thus, were missing many of the options that usually made them self-sufficient. Their lack of a large fuel capacity was their primary weakness, as well as insufficient storage for their missiles, but it was one that only needed a short resupply trip back at base.

Which is what the craft were doing at that very moment.

"Status report," ordered Andross into his headset.

"Sir, the Victory, the Alliance, and the Warlord are on their way to dock for refueling. ETA is approximately 5 minutes. The—"

"I don't need their names," he interrupted with a growl. As it was, he wasn't pleased that all nine of his battleships had to land at the same time, but he also understood the reason. Any number fewer than the ones that faced the Starfox team earlier would simply be a waste, as the pilots could obliterate them with little risk to themselves. "How soon?"

The lizard on the other end sounded nervous. "Before they're in the skies again, sir?"

"I'm not going to even answer that question."

The creature knew that this terse statement was Andross' only warning before things turned very bad for him. "Sir, approximately 10 minutes for the first trio, 30 for the second, and 50 for the third."

"That better be accurate, for your sake."

"They're working as fast as they can, sir."

"It'll be your hide if they aren't."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

"No. Andross out." With a sigh, he cut the communication and wished that he wasn't surrounded by such incompetence. He also hated feeling utterly defenseless, as without those battleships, there was little left to stop the Arwings. At least they weren't on their way, or so he thought.

Looking over the system map on one monitor, he figured that the Arwings didn't have the fuel capacity to reach Venom from their home base, hence their refueling on Katina. While his spy network was far from what it used to be ever since the Lylat system started fighting back, he knew it was still sufficient to inform him of any further landings by the pilots. 

If there was only some way of utilizing the many satellites that Corneria had scattered throughout the system…

* * *

Nobody had ever seen the insides of a wormhole before. Not even the lone probe that had made it through had transmitted any details of what lay inside before it was crippled beyond operation. The team just knew that somehow it led through to Venom, and that a simple, defenseless probe had survived the trip.

To say that they were unprepared for what lay beyond the invisible entrance was an understatement.

The peaceful, quiet darkness of space dissolved into an assault on the visual senses for Fox and Fara, stunning them as to the drastic difference in such a short length of time. Swirls of seemingly random color were visible no matter where they looked, their chaotic streams painful to glance at for more than a single second.

Desperately the vulpine looked for a way to freedom, or at least to some place where it didn't hurt to just look around. While he had a relatively cast-iron stomach, he knew that he couldn't take much more of this. And if he couldn't take it, he had no idea how Fara was faring behind him.

Suddenly, she cried out his name and jolted him out of his search. "Fox! Look to your left!"

His head jerked to the side and tried to track down what had her attention. It didn't take long before he noticed what she did, drawing a gasp of surprise from the vulpine.

It was a lone craft floating dead in space. While that alone might not had been all that unusual, based on the number of unmanned vehicles they'd tossed into the Black Hole once it was formed, the ship was of a design that Fox would never forget as long as he lived.

It was the same type of craft that his father used so long ago.

Looking closely as it slowly spun in place, he could make out certain designs and markings on the ship's hull, marred as it was from what looked like stress damage. There was only one craft that had the same paint job. It was one that he'd recognize anywhere.

It was his father's old Gazer ship.

The one that he'd used when he vanished so long ago.

"That…that…" Far more important things drew his attention, as his ship unexpectedly rocked and an alarm blared in his ears.

Before he could identify what it was, Fara had already piped in with the answer, sounding nothing like her usual, calm self. "The G-Diffusers are overloading! We have to get out of here!"

"I'm trying!" He ripped his eyes away from his unexpected find and resumed his search in the swirling vortex of colors, still unable to find anything resembling an exit from this visual hell. His computer was next to worthless, unable to differentiate one part of space from the next. "I can't find a way out!"

Fox began to panic, the Arwing's alarm rising in intensity as his own tensions increased. Had he made his last incorrect decision? Was this his final few moments alive? Would he end up just like his father did?

Fate had other plans.

To the vulpine's utter amazement, a ghostly apparition of James McCloud's upper body appeared some distance in front of him, his paws cupping a bright, white light that appeared out of nowhere. "Father!" he exclaimed incredulously.

Fara stared at where Fox's Arwing pointed and tried to figure out what he'd seen. As far as she could tell, there was nothing but more of the same crazy colors that had caused an instant headache as soon as she'd entered. Had her teammate finally flipped? She hoped not, as otherwise they would not be getting out of this situation alive.

The spirit began speaking, but not by any communication known to Fox. Instead, it was as if James was speaking directly into his head. "Fox, my son, follow me. I'll lead you to safety."

"But…"

He got no further response from his father, short of him gesturing towards what looked to be the only way out, breaking out into a huge smile that only a father could give to one's son. Having seen no better option, or any other way out at all, he punched the boosters and hurtled towards the light.

Fara noticed Fox sped off without warning and she quickly throttled up to follow. She had no idea why her teammate was leaving in such a hurry, but she had no intention on losing him in this psychotic smear of a painter's palette. 

Suddenly, both pilots could see what looked to be the exit, a halo of white light surrounding the peaceful darkness of what looked to be normal space. Wasting no further time, as their Arwings were threatening to fall apart without any notice, the pair dove through and vanished in a brief flash of light.

* * *

"Pepper, there's still no report on the Arwings, just like how there wasn't thirty seconds ago."

"Damn it!"

Gary and the General were both staring intently at the monitor that contained the data for the spy probes, anxiously waiting for any updates as to the Arwing's status. Celine stood idly by as well, hoping against hope that their mission to simply arrive at Venom would be successful.

Pepper couldn't believe that he'd allowed this near-suicide mission. There had to be a much more logical way of advancing upon Andross' home, but after the team's failed mission, no ideas had come to mind. If this plan worked, it would be the perfect way to get a jump upon Venom's defenses, but if it failed… He shuddered, not even wanting to think about the consequences.

Sitting back in his chair, rubbing his temples to block out the headache that was threatening to form thanks to the General's constant insistence on information, Gary thought through the mission. While there might have been better ways to approach the overall goal, he would have actually gone with Fox's plan had he been in his boots. He simply understood his reasoning, as skewed as it was.

A low tone brought everyone's attention back to the monitor. Verifying the data, the cheetah exclaimed, "General, we've picked up two Arwings over Venom!"

Celine cheered as Pepper simply nodded, the large smile on his face betraying his true feelings. "Junior does it again – they've survived the Black Hole. Outstanding news."

"That it is."

Pepper looked around the room and noticed the peace and quiet, realizing the hell that the pilots would be going through shortly. "Now to wait for the others, and wait and see if they can finish this war."

"That is the more difficult mission I'm afraid."

"Yes." He sighed. "May the Creator continue watching over our saviors." 

If Gary was surprised to hear the General invoke the Creator's name once more, he didn't say anything. Instead, he silently added a few thoughts of his own.

* * *

The nauseating swirls of colors quickly vanished into the normal darkness of space, one populated by the usual pinpricks of light, each one holding a possibility of life. One such star was staring the Arwing pilots in the face.

That star was Venom.

As Fox gaped at the planet, amazed that his latest plan had worked, Fara said excitedly, "We made it! How'd you find the way out?"

"My…my Father!" he stuttered, still in shock over what he'd seen. "He…I mean, I…"

The vixen was now more worried than she'd been before as he drifted off to silence. "Fox, are you okay?"

"Didn't…didn't you see him? It was my father!"

"I just followed you into the light. I didn't see anyone!"

Fox closed his eyes and blocked the tears that were threatening to form. There would be time to think over what he thought he saw, and this was not it. "I see." Opening them again, he looked around and noticed the lack of any other ships in the area. Where were the battleships that they encountered before? Was this attack plan truly a surprise?

They were going to find out shortly.

"Let's do this, Fara." 

"Lead on."

* * *

A series of alarms brought Andross' head whipping around, stopping what was a peaceful afternoon. Scanning the monitors, he quickly found the source of his troubles, and looked upon the data in momentary shock. Before he had the chance to think further, his headset squawked, the panic in the lizard's voice clearly heard. "Sir, the—"

"I know," he interrupted, his tone deathly calm. "Where did they come from?"

"I…I…"

"Spit it out!"

"They just…appeared out of nowhere!"

"You imbecile!" He knew that while the Arwings had many advantages over his own craft, appearing out of thin air were not one of them. Or if it was, it was a power that he had to possess for his own use. "Launch the battleships then!"

"We…we can't!"

Andross' paws slammed hard onto a nearby table, the surface surprisingly holding together from his rage. "Why…don't answer that." Tired of the lizard's stupidity, he dug into the creature's mind via his telepathic powers and found the answer in a matter of moments.

The lizard dropped to his knees, clutching his head in pain from having the answer practically raped from his mind. "Sir…p-please…"

"I should have done this long ago." Looking into the monitor that displayed the control room where the useless creature was, Andross concentrated and brought the full brunt of his mental prowess to bear. The lizard was suddenly lifted into the air, flipped upside down, and was propelled towards the lone large window at a frighteningly high rate of speed.

The creature screamed as the glass shattered, sending him tumbling towards the ground far below. The other lizards nearby ignored their companion's prompt termination, hoping that if they didn't pay any attention to what happened, they'd live a much longer life.

Closing his eyes from the strain of using his telekinetic powers without tapping into his Amplifier first, Andross thought through what he needed to do next. There were plenty of things for him to do if he wanted any possibility of defending his planet, but he did have one advantage – he knew what the Starfox team needed to do if they were to have a chance of their own. 

He'd prepared for many eventualities over the time he'd been ruler of Venom. Even more so once Corneria started its counterattack. The pilots' overall goal was one of them. All he needed to do was to set a few additional plans in motion…

* * *

The Arwings streaked over Venom's surface and charged towards their destination. The few hostile craft that they'd encountered so far put up little organized resistance, but they both knew that would change quickly once they reached the capital.

They just didn't realize how quickly.

Without warning, the skies around the pair lit up from laser fire, speeding past and occasionally striking the craft. The pilots broke away from each other, spinning slightly in an attempt to dodge the incoming fire. "Laser towers!" said Fara as she pointed out the obvious.

"I see them," replied Fox, surprisingly calm. "Follow my lead."

The two craft sped on and dodged the incoming shots best they could. As they neared, their own blasters lit up, retaliating with a far more devastating effect. It took only a few shots per turret before they detonated, flames and debris shooting into the afternoon sky.

They shot over the smoking rubble a few seconds later and entered the city proper. From afar, it looked to be smaller than Corneria City, but on a far lower technological level based on the buildings and construction. The local airborne populace scattered as they flew overhead, dodging the occasional hidden turret or armed craft.

"What's our goal?" asked Fara. "You know the main base here is shielded."

"It…crap, you're right." He shook his head and tried to figure out how he'd forgotten the overall goals of attacking Venom in the excitement earlier.

"We'll find a way," she said, interrupting his thoughts as she noticed his silence. Suddenly tired of the hostile craft currently trying to chase them, she spun her Arwing around and opened fire, obliterating her targets within seconds. Smiling at her handiwork, she turned back around and ignited the boosters to catch up to her teammate.

Fox never had a chance to compliment her piloting skill as his sensors detected someone nearby that he didn't expect to see. "Falco? How?"

The avian moved into position nearby, raining firepower on anything he could see in the process. "When have I ever missed a party, Fox?"

"A good point." As much as he didn't want to see his teammates right now, especially after the incident earlier in the day, he was grateful for their assistance. "How'd you get here?"

Peppy interrupted the pair, having far more important things to do than listen to useless banter as he dropped in behind the group. "Fox, we've spotted what looks to be the battleships from before nearby."

"Lovely."

"They look to be refueling however."

Fox raised his eyes in surprise. He'd been looking forward to a rematch ever since he lost the fight against them earlier. "Interesting. If you'd pass the info on, it looks like Fara and I have a bit of revenge to enact."

"Already done. We'll let you know when we're finished."

"Make sure you kick their asses," stated Falco. He'd already accepted the fact that he'd be following Peppy. While he didn't like it, he knew he had little choice in the matter.

"We will. Come on, Fara." 

"Let's kick ass."

* * *

The defenders of Venom valiantly tried to put up a resistance, but without any heavier support from the currently docked battleships, they were getting blown apart as quickly as they could launch. The Starfox team knew this and pressed their advantage as best they could.

With a squeeze of the trigger, another pair of bolts lanced out from Fox's Arwing and permanently disabled yet another hostile craft. It tumbled out of the sky and crashed into the street below, the local populace scattering from the explosion.

Fara opened fire upon a triad of craft that rose up from some hidden launch bay, sending them scattering. One fighter misjudged the size of his craft as he clipped a wing against a nearby building, sending it falling to the ground. The other pair was vaporized just as easily, the ships being little more than easy target practice for the seasoned pilot.

Falco and Peppy were having the same successes, but they were mostly facing automated defenses instead of live fighters. Even though the skies above the city were brightened with laser fire, the pilots nimbly worked their way towards their goal, turrets exploding on the simplest of whims.

"I've spotted our goal," said Fox, shooting through the debris of his latest opponent. "I count six…seven…all nine battleships. Looks like they're refueling from here."

Some distance ahead of them, the battleships lay docked on giant metal supports, originally used to hold the craft together when they were constructed. Multiple flexible tubes stretched behind them, hooked into what looked to be fuel towers. Taking no risks, turrets covered the landscape and buildings nearby, and combined with the operational guns on the battleships, it made attacking a very risky proposition.

The pilots knew that no matter the odds however, they had to attack now and make sure that no craft survived.

"That…that's a lot of guns down there." Fara looked over her sensor data best she could as she advanced, dodging the occasional enemy fire.

"That it is."

She wasn't going to let something as simple as that stop her however. "Tell me what to shoot at."

Fox smiled, glad to hear that she was fully supporting this assault, even though the odds looked to be anything but good. If even a single battleship got off the ground and unloaded its compliment of fighters, they'd be in serious trouble, and he knew it. He targeted what looked to be the fuel canisters as he said, "Looks like fuel to you in those, right?"

"Yeah."

"You take this one, and I'll get this one."

"Chain reaction via Nova Bomb through all that fuel, right?"

They simply didn't have the firepower necessary to take down the battleships, as they were too far apart to target multiple craft with a single Nova Bomb, so he hoped that detonating the fuel dumps would get the ships connected to them. "You got it."

"Seems sound." Short of the multitude of automated defenses that would be shooting at them, this mission seemed simple enough to her. Just get in, launch a Nova Bomb, and run. The difficult part would be getting there in one piece. "Good luck."

"You too." 

Splitting apart, the two pilots searched for the best way to approach their target as they steeled themselves for what lay ahead.

* * *

"I've spotted the power plant."

Swerving away from his latest destroyed hostile, Falco glanced over at what Peppy had targeted and eyed the defenses in the area. "I see it. Follow me and shoot at anything I miss."

As the hare moved into position, he glanced back at his passenger. Slippy had quieted down completely as they flew through Venom's atmosphere, and it had left him worried as to how well he was holding up. Seeing his concern, the toad just smiled weakly, nodding to show that he was all right. Returning his view forward, he said, "Falco, make sure you—"

"I know," he grumbled in response. "I'll try to not hit the damn plant."

Wasting no further time, the pair charged towards their target, Falco in the lead. He skillfully targeted every turret he could get a clear shot at, spinning and swerving out of the way of any return fire. Peppy followed best he could, taking the occasional potshot at whatever his teammate somehow missed, and fired at the ships that threatened their flight path.

It took a few minutes, but the lightshow in the skies began to quiet down. The few remaining hostiles sputtered the occasional laser shot as the Arwings flew by, but it was very clear that they were no longer a threat. Falco laughed as another turret exploded and littered the ground with its remains. "All too easy."

"Are we clear?"

Glancing around, the avian tried to answer that question. There wasn't anything on his radar, but that didn't always tell the truth as far as any hidden craft went that might be in the area. "Looks like it, but let me check."

"Okay. We're proceeding towards our landing zone."

Knowing that Peppy could take care of himself, at least for a little bit, Falco shot towards the skies, as he wanted a birds-eye view of the surrounding area. It didn't take him long before he spotted another wave of fighters advancing on their target, hoping to sneak up on the pilots. "Go on and land. I see a group coming your way, but I got them."

"Understood. Don't damage too many buildings in our absence."

"Shove it." Hearing the communication click off, Falco lazily spun towards the ground and lined himself up for the upcoming battle. With a grin plastered on his face, he charged towards his targets and opened up with his blasters as soon as he got into range.

Two hostiles detonated by the time he shot past them, the rest scattering as quickly as they could. The avian laughed manically as chased them down, whipping between, around, and through buildings, making sure not a single craft got out of his sights. In short, it was a battle that the enemy had no chance whatsoever in winning.

Listening in on the hoots and hollers of delight from their teammate, Peppy brought his Arwing to a landing into what looked to be a covered parking garage of some sort. Short of his own craft, the lot was completely empty, which worried him. But he had other concerns on his mind at that moment, so he gave it little thought.

After checking to make sure that there was nobody around, he powered down his craft. He glanced at the atmospheric conditions in the area before popping the hatch. While it wasn't something he'd want to breathe the rest of his life, they'd be okay for the short length of time they'd be outside.

"Are we leaving?" whined Slippy from behind him, grateful for the rocking and swaying of the ship to come to an end. 

"Yes. Get your gear and let's do this."

* * *

Meanwhile, the other Arwings were rapidly approaching their destination, Nova Bombs at the ready. There was only one problem. "I can't get close enough!" yelled Fara.

Fox looked past the horde of fighters and turrets that kept up an almost constant stream of laser fire, seeing his objective buried underneath. They'd tried multiple times to strike the fuel tanks, but every attempt had ended in failure. He banked hard to the right and lost the hostile on his tail as he replied. "I know!"

Wishing that there was some cover near the refueling point, instead of the open terrain that surrounded it on all sides, Fara spotted what looked to be a temporary gap in the defenses. Wasting no time, she charged forward and lined up to fire a Nova Bomb. Turret fire began pounding against her shields, but she shrugged off the blows, her defenses capable of taking the beating for the moment.

Grinning at the carnage she was about to create, she fired, pulling away as her computer started yelling about the condition of her shields. Boosters flaring as she got some distance away, she swerved around to survey the damage.

She was to be rather upset at the outcome.

The Nova Bomb streaked through the sky, its brilliant light a stark contrast to the greenish haze that engulfed the rest of the planet. Seconds before impact, a random fighter happened to cross the path the deadly weapon was taking, the ball of energy striking it head on.

She cursed as the Nova Bomb exploded, vaporizing a few craft that happened to be in the area. It was more than far enough away from its intended target to be nothing but a wasted shot. "Damn it!"

Fox had watched the whole thing, shaking his head as to the aftermath. They were not going to win this fight, not this way. And as soon as one of those battleships got into the skies… "Fara, break off and go vertical. I have an idea."

"Okay."

The two Arwings rocketed into the skies and quickly gained altitude. Before long, the hostiles trailing behind them broke off, unable to keep up with the pair. As the last of the turret fire ended, Fox leveled off, his craft pushing through the thick cloud cover that surrounded the planet. "Nice try at least."

Fara flipped upside down and tried to get a view of the ground below. She gave up after a few seconds, unable to see anything but the clouds around her. "Yeah. What's your plan?"

"Have a Nova Bomb recharged?"

"I do."

"We'll attack from above then. Launch as close to point-blank as we can get."

"Deal. Lead on."

Whipping his Arwing towards the ground, Fox fired his boosters, weapons at the ready. After a moment, Fara followed suit and hurried to catch up.

The clouds swirled around their craft, as if trying to hold them back. Their shields flared up as they continued to accelerate, the particulates and other fine debris bursting into brief flashes of light as they struck the defensive barrier.

Finally, the clouds parted, revealing the bleak view of corrupted land and steel. As expected, directly below them lay their target, the multitude of turrets and fighters currently pointed elsewhere. It looked like their surprise was going to work.

Suddenly, one of the defenders noticed the speeding Arwings and moved to intercept. The turrets responded in kind, their bolts of deadly energy spewing into the skies. The pilots dodged as best as could, but they had too much speed built up, drastically limiting their mobility.

As they neared, they watched in awe as the giant fuel tubes jerked from the side of the battleships, as if a giant hand had taken hold of them, not caring as to the consequences. Little did they know it was Andross using his telekinetic powers from afar, dislodging the tubes far faster than any of his workers could do. Fuel began pouring onto the ground as the battleships fired up their engines, giant girders and thrust deflection plates keeping the fire away from the now volatile area.

Their goals in sight, the pair continued their dive. Fox shook his head as his computer began warning him about his excessive rate of decent. He just hoped that the G-Diffuser system would hold his Arwing together when he pulled out of his dive. At least Fara didn't say anything about this plan, so he assumed that it would work.

Looking at the rapidly approaching planet surface, Fara wondered if the G-Diffusers would hold up to the stress they were about to put them through in a matter of moments. While they were designed to modify the forces of gravity around the craft, they'd never been tested to these extremes. In theory it would work, but it was only that.

Their path of travel obvious to even the most clueless of Venomian soldiers, laser fire began pummeling the Arwings, their shields straining to block both the attacks and the heat buildup from plowing through the atmosphere. They couldn't abort their assault now, nor could they dare fire this far away. This had to succeed, or else they were all doomed.

Fox winced as another series of shots impacted against his defenses, weakening them to the point where the low shield alarm began blaring in his ear. A quick check of his computer system informed him that Fara was in just as bad of shape. Left with very few options, he rolled from side to side and tried to make himself a moving target.

Ignoring her own wailing alarm, Fara looked at the fuel container looming bigger and bigger with every second. If she fired now, it looked like she would have a clear shot, but she didn't dare take the chance. Another failure could easily cost the entire mission and she knew it.

A few seconds passed before the vulpine knew that they were about as close as they were going to get. "Ready?"

A pair of shots struck the underside of her Arwing as she responded. It wouldn't take many more before she was defenseless. "Yeah."

As far as he could tell, there wasn't any craft prepared to intercept their shots, but he wanted to make sure. "On my mark." He paused and looked around, ignoring his computer as it warned him of his shields' imminent collapse. He wanted the perfect shot. "Mark."

Like twin suns, the Nova Bombs launched from the Arwings, their aim true. Desperately, both pilots pulled back on their control sticks, knowing of the fiery inferno they were going to be flying through if they didn't. Their craft rattled as the G-Diffuser system was pushed to its limits, outright breaking the laws of physics as it attempted to follow the pilot's commands.

The blazing balls of energy hurtled towards their target, nothing blocking their path short of the turret fire that passed through harmlessly. Almost simultaneously, the Nova Bombs struck their targets, setting off a chain reaction that would go down in the annuals of history.

The highly concentrated fuel detonated instantly, creating a fireball so massive that it engulfed the already gigantic blast radius of the Nova Bombs themselves. The superheated fuel inside the tubes going to the docked battleships burst into flame and turned the rubber tubing into slag. Moments after the initial explosion, the fuel stored in the tanks of the craft erupted from the heat, the battleships themselves vaporizing under their own blazing inferno.

The lone battleship that had gotten off of its platform was tossed like a brick from the shockwave of the blast, hurled forward by the displaced air. Just as quickly, it crashed back onto the ground, the pilot unable to compensate from the extreme forces happening around it. Its hull cracked open like an egg and permanently disabled the craft beyond repair.

Fox was propelled forward, his high-speed Arwing unable to escape the shockwave either. Alarms blared as he desperately tried to maintain control of his ship, knowing that a single mistake right now would cost him his craft, if not his life. His ship creaked and groaned, pushed beyond its design specs, the creators having never imagined the stress it was experiencing right now.

With one final, jarring lurch, he escaped into a far less turbulent atmosphere. Wiping the accumulated sweat off his furred brow, he fired up the retros and made a wide, graceful turn to see the damage below. As he looked, he contacted Fara. "Fara, come in."

He was not prepared for the massacre that lay before him.

The once sandy floor had turned to glass in spots from the heat and pressure of the explosion, presenting a solid surface in which the death and destruction lie exposed for anybody to see. Charred remains of the eight battleships that used to be docked were strewn across a mile radius, many of the larger pieces still burning, throwing a thick, black smoke into the sky.

Left utterly stunned at the total devastation, unable to comprehend at the number of deaths he'd caused with a single touch of a button, he didn't realize that his communicator had remained quiet the entire time. Tearing his eyes away from the ground, he began looking around for the other Arwing as he quickly grew worried. "Fara, this is Fox. Report your status."

Nothing.

He scanned the skies, unable to see much short of the smoking debris in the area around him. He was about to attempt to try a third time when he received a garbled jumble of static over his headset. Unable to trace the source of the message, he assumed the best. "Fara, is that you?"

The static interfered more often than not, but it began to clear up and eventually resolved into her voice. "Fox…there…minute…"

His computer chirped in, letting him know that it had located Fara's transponder signal once more, giving him a location of the missing Arwing. He made another pass over the destruction and smiled as he spotted his teammate. "Welcome back."

Her voice popped and stuttered, making him wonder if there was something wrong with her craft. "Thanks. Damn… Did we make a mess or what?"

Fox looked at the carnage again and tried his best to put it out of his mind. Now was not the time to feel guilty for those he had slaughtered so easily. "Yeah. Something wrong with your Arwing? Your signal is breaking up."

She dove towards the ground, wanting a better look at the devastation below. "Lots of interference from…debris."

"Ah." He nodded, now understanding why he wasn't getting a signal from the other Arwings. "Come on, let's see how the others are doing." 

"Right behind you."

* * *

It didn't take the pair long before they reached Andross' tower, looking nothing like the buildings situated around it. It rose multiple stories into the sky, bristling with weapon mounts of all shapes and sizes, covering every possible angle of attack. It looked like it was capable of defending itself against the Arwings, if not a small portion of Venom's overall fleet. There was just one oddity that left the pilots stumped.

The base's defenses were completely offline.

"Fox, I don't like this."

"And you think I do?" The vulpine looked around and found it extremely strange that not only was their target undefended, but there wasn't a hostile anywhere in the area. "Any ideas?"

"It's a trap."

He laughed at Fara's statement of the obvious. "Of course it is."

She fiddled with her communication settings before she continued, giving up with a sigh. "I still can't raise the other two."

"Still too much interference?"

"Yeah. It started when we wasted those battleships. Don't know why though." She paused and looked around at the eerie silence. It was starting to worry her more than the overwhelming odds earlier. "What do we do?"

Fox was slow in responding as he thought through his options. "Peppy and Falco must've done their objective, as this thing is unshielded. So there's only one thing we can do."

"We're going in." 

"Yes." 


	41. The End

Well, it's finally happened - Fox verses Andross. Those of you who played the original Starfox might recognize the scene of the final battle, as well as a few other things. I think I've reproduced it rather accurately in my writing, but only time will tell as you all read through it.

But does this chapter end my story as the title suggests? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find for sure.

* * *

**Chapter 41: The End**

_Andross will die today, Father. I swear on it._ – Fox

_Come into my parlor, my little Arwings. It's time to crush you Cornerian fools one by one._ – Andross 

The total silence from outside quickly escalated into a fight for their lives as the Arwings dove right into the base. They were confined to a narrow tunnel, barely large enough for the pilots to fly side by side, but one more than large enough for the smaller fighters that Andross' employed to put up a formidable defense.

Their travel path wasn't clear either, as large metal posts stuck out at seemingly random locations. It gave a place for the fighters to launch from, as well as forced the pair to constantly dodge out of their way. In addition, numerous automated turrets dotted the tunnel's interior, making sure that there never was a moment's peace.

Even faced with the insurmountable odds, the Arwings refused to give up, as they knew that their objective was right around the corner. Explosions filled the passageway and hostile craft crumbled to pieces before them. They left nothing but smoke and debris in their wake.

The pair watched each other's back, constantly changing formation and who was in the lead as space and circumstances permitted. As one pilot's shields weakened from the near-continuous laser fire, they pulled back and allowed the other to take the brunt of the damage for a short while.

At one point, Fara had dropped back, following Fox slowly through a series of tight turns around walls and obstacles. As they cleared the final section, the vulpine boosted ahead upon seeing a clear path in front of them. Before she could do the same however, things quickly went downhill.

As she was about to touch off her own boosters, a wall of energy suddenly formed right behind Fox's Arwing and covered the entire passageway in a yellow glow. Desperately she slammed the retros to full, grimacing as the seat straps dug into her fur, the G-Diffuser system straining to bring her to a halt.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she stopped mere feet away from the electrical field. Arcs of energy shot between it and her shields, bathing the chamber in flashes of light as she backed away to a safe distance.

"Fox!" she yelled in hope that she would get his attention. Instead, she watched helplessly as the pilot continued on, unbeknownst as to what had just transpired behind him. 

Fox McCloud was now completely on his own.

* * *

The tunnels passed quickly by, leading further into the depths of Andross' base. Unlike the rest of the passageways so far, there wasn't a ship or turret protecting this section. Fox was just about to remark upon his find when his computer warned him that it had lost track of Fara's transponder once again. "Fara?" he asked, thinking it was nothing more than simple interference.

He didn't get a chance to think further about his missing teammate as the tunnels suddenly opened up and revealed a gigantic, mostly empty cavern. It was so vast, his sensors had a difficult time determining the exact size of the area around him. They did inform him that he seemed to be in an oversized construction yard, littered with ships of all sizes under various stages of development.

His computer chirped and interrupted his thoughts once more, informing him that the passageway had closed behind him. Worried, he spun around, ready to blast a way back out incase he needed it when the sensors told him the impossible – the exit had somehow completely vanished.

Before his eyes, the chamber itself slowly faded away, only to be replaced with a murky darkness on all sides. His sensors went absolutely nuts, thinking that there was nothing and everything around him to all sides. After fiddling with the controls for a few moments, he gave up and turned towards what he thought was the middle of the cavern.

As he stared out into the gloom, a mysterious voice seemed to come from all around him, everywhere and nowhere at once. "Your valiant effort should be rewarded, Junior!"

He roared, absolutely tired of that nickname. But here, in the depths of Venom, there was only one person who could be possibly talking to him. "Andross!"

Suddenly, out of the darkness, appeared a form so shocking, that it filled Fox with equal parts paralyzing fear and unbridled anger. He gasped, unable to believe what he was looking at.

It was Andross' head.

It was impossibly huge, dwarfing the Arwing like how Fara's favorite tree in the botanical gardens did to him. Its eyes swiveled in place, focusing on the tiny craft as the mouth broke into a huge grin. Once again came the voice that seemed to have no true source. "Don't worry; your friends will get the same treatment."

Ignoring a headache that started to build up for no apparent reason, he yelled in rage and wasted no time in letting loose with his blasters. To his surprise, large, square steel girders swarmed from the black haze surrounding him and intercepted his shots. He swerved from side to side in an attempt to get a line of fire, but was unable to despite his best efforts.

Things quickly turned for the worse for the pilot as his proximity alarm blared. Before he could react, one of the girders slammed into his Arwing. The force of the blow tossed him around for a moment, even though the shields absorbed most of the strike.

All he knew is that if one of those objects struck him without his defenses, it was going to take a chunk out of his craft, if not completely destroying it.

The area around him was like a virtual minefield, one where the mines themselves moved from second to second. It was hard enough for him to keep his Arwing away from the obstacles, much less try to find a clear shot against the villainous head.

"Can't kill what you can't hit," taunted Andross as he moved his defenses to block the pilot's latest attempt.

"Damn you!" yelled Fox, infuriated in how he hadn't been able to score a single hit. Again he ducked out of the way of an incoming girder and fired once more. Again the shots were harmlessly blocked. He roared in frustration, the sudden lapse of concentration causing another mass of steel to crash into him.

Cursing his stupidity, he looked for another avenue of attack while watching over his sensors in an attempt to avoid the next batch incoming objects. He was starting to lose this fight, and it scared the hell out of him.

The ape drastically changed his assault plans without warning, knocking the pilot out of his thoughts. Andross made what looked to be a sucking motion with his mouth, causing the girders to move towards him at a high rate of speed. As Fox twisted away from the mass of projectiles, he felt his Arwing slow to a halt, the same mysterious force affecting his own craft.

He fired his boosters and attempted to break free. It didn't take him long to realize that he was not going the direction he intended. In fact, he was going backwards.

Straight towards Andross.

Finding no obstacles around him, he twisted back around and was shocked to see just how close he had been drawn to his enemy. The face loomed before him, occupying his entire view. The most menacing part of it however was its mouth, filled with eroded and decaying teeth, each ready to crush his craft to a pulp.

Having only seconds before he'd be lost to the depths within, he did the only thing that came to mind – he fired a Nova Bomb.

The flash of light from the weapon pierced through the darkness, aimed unerringly towards the gaping maw. The radiance vanished like the setting sun, reappearing once more as it detonated on something within.

The force that had grabbed him expelled him far faster than had pulled him in, tossing him against his restraints as the G-Diffusers simply couldn't compensate fast enough. He winced as his body threatened to black out, but he knew that if that happened, he wouldn't get a chance to wake back up. 

The solid blocks of steel flew outward as well, whipping past his Arwing like a pouring rain. He concentrated and slowed his craft best he could while at the same time avoiding the flying metal. He knew that at this speed, they'd chew right through his defenses.

Upon coming to a halt, Fox's eyes grew wide as his sensors went crazy as they tracked the number of incoming girders. Ignoring the fear rapidly building inside, he searched for a way out of his predicament, giving up on fighting back for the moment.

Desperately he ducked past one hunk of steel, narrowly avoiding another that was aimed towards his canopy. Banking hard to the left, another passed underneath him, colliding with another in the process. Acting on instinct alone, he swerved by another pair, squeezing by a third as it scraped against his shields.

But just as suddenly, his luck finally gave out. He lurched forward as one girder crashed into his rear. Left momentarily stunned, he had no chance to avoid the second one as it slammed with his right wing, his shields screaming as they were drastically weakened. One final hit from underneath was all it took before his defenses collapsed from the strain, alarms wailing in warning. 

Finally presented with the opening he'd been looking for, Andross attacked Fox's mind directly. Images of his buried past flowed through his mind; images of the violence he had caused, of the travesties he had experienced, of the deaths behind him. The vulpine howled in pain as he clutched his head, completely and utterly defenseless to whatever lay in store for him. 

The huge face grinned upon knowing that Fox was finally his. Opening his maw wide once more, the form inhaled and brought the craft his way. There was nothing the vulpine could do to save his own fur. Nothing.

And then a ball of energy shot past the disabled Arwing and struck the inside of the mouth. It was another Nova Bomb, and it detonated with the same destructive force as before.

Andross roared as he lost control of his telekinetic powers via the core again, the oversized eyes wincing as he searched for the interfering craft. It didn't take him long to find his next opponent, as the constant stream of blaster-fire was easy to trace back to its source. 

It was Fara.

* * *

She'd broken through the energy barrier, taking large chunks of the wall surrounding it in the process, and charged ahead, wanting to join Fox in the battle. What she saw as she entered came as a rather large surprise to her. She spotted the other Arwing as it was pulled towards what appeared to be a giant metallic blob, looking somewhat like a face.

She didn't know what it was, but she could clearly tell that the vulpine was in trouble. Taking aim, she launched her final Nova Bomb towards the head and switched to her blasters as soon as it connected. In addition, she tried to contact her teammate. "Fox, it's Fara. You okay?"

Before she had a chance to even expect a reply, the metallic object made a sudden transformation. As it roared and turned towards her Arwing in a blind rage, it instantly changed into a near-perfect reproduction of Andross' head.

She gasped, unable to believe what she'd just seen. Judging by the infuriated look on her opponent, she was glad that the old additive of 'if looks could kill' was only that, as she'd be dead right now.

Any further thoughts about her situation were shoved aside as Andross attacked. Once more, the steel girders flew through the sky, this time aimed directly at her. She deftly dodged out of the way and caught sight of Fox in the process. Knowing that she had to help him, she avoided the ape for the moment and tried again to contact him. "Fox?"

The silence from the non-responsive vulpine was interrupted by Andross. "Don't worry, your damned teammate is just as dead as you're going to be in a matter of moments, you little bitch."

Raising her eyes in shock at the insult, she mentally kicked herself at having an unsecured communication. Wondering how long she had her com set that way, she reached over to change it and became rather surprised to find that it already had. Debating if Andross had simply glanced into her mind, or made the rather obvious guess as to her next move, she continued her approach.

Pulling a quick barrel roll to avoid the latest attacks, she found herself looking right at her teammate. Fox's craft drifted slowly in the murky blackness, unpowered and uncontrolled, proving to her that he was knocked out cold, or worse. Shivering at the thought, she went through a sequence in her mind that only she knew out of the team – how to take over an Arwing remotely.

It was ultimately designed as a failsafe device on the experimental craft, incase they either got stolen, or worse, the team selected to fly them were caught abusing their power. Both Gary and the General knew of them as well, providing ample coverage if something happened.

In this case however, she was going to use it to try to wake Fox. If that failed, she'd use his extra firepower to make a difference in this battle.

Knowing that her codes would automatically be useless after using them, to prevent anybody else from attempting the same, she lined herself up for the process. Ignoring a sudden headache that was threatening to interfere with her thoughts, she dropped her shields and prepared to lock the two Arwings together like she'd done so many days ago.

Andross watched with amazement as Fara's defenses lowered, leaving her completely vulnerable to his mental prowess. Laughing at just how easily this wench would be defeated, he halted his attack and focused his powers upon the pilot directly.

With her fingers poised over the final buttons in the sequence, her cockpit faded around her, only to be replaced by images pulled directly from her mind. Horrible, horrible images. She screamed in fear, being forced to relive her buried memories, her hidden secrets, her dreaded moments in life.

And then Andross struck home.

She couldn't move. She couldn't feel anything short of her head, resting gently upon a soft pillow. She blinked rapidly, unable to believe what she was seeing. Somehow, beyond all probability, she was back at Corneria Base, trapped inside the confines of the regeneration tanks once more.

"No!" She jerked her head from side to side, trying to move a single limb, trying to break free. "No!" This was impossible. This couldn't be happening to her. Not again. "NO!"

Andross laughed, pleased to have dug up this particular memory. "Yes, my little girl, try all you want to break free. It's not going to happen. Your mind is mine."

Fara desperately continued to struggle for her freedom. None of this was real. Every sense she had however, told her that she was trapped, caught, and confined.

"No!" she screamed again, shutting her eyes tight. She couldn't be here. This wasn't happening. She was safe inside her Arwing, not locked tight inside this tube from hell. This was all Andross' doing somehow. She tried to think back to what she was doing, ignoring the numb feeling that had taken control of her body.

Slowly, it came to her. She had two buttons to push, nothing more. Those two buttons would finish what she was doing, bringing her shields back online, hopefully blocking off whatever Andross had done to her.

It was just a matter of trying to get her body to respond to her commands.

Trying her best to disregard what she was feeling, she concentrated on moving her fingers forward. It was just a matter of inches, nothing more.

Andross couldn't believe what he was sensing. Somehow, Fara was fighting his control, his mental domination. It was something that nobody had ever done before. Ever. And he was not going to let her be the first.

She continued to concentrate on moving, gritting her teeth, sweat beading upon her brow from the strain. She was almost there. She could feel her fingertips pressing upon the buttons now. Just a bit more.

Then Andross struck out again. She felt her outer fur char, smolder, burn, like when her Arwing sparked and shorted out around her only weeks ago. Except this time, it was taken further. She could feel the burning sensation pass beyond her original wounds and encompass her entire body. She wanted to shrivel in pain, wanted to look at what was happening, but she knew of the consequences if she did.

Instead, she pushed forward with her fingers. She was so close. Too close to be stopped now.

With a grunt of success, she touched the last button and preyed that her ordeal was finally over. She dropped back into her seat utterly exhausted, moments away from dropping into unconsciousness from the strain.

The two Arwings locked together via the G-Diffuser system, Fara taking the top position this time around. As soon as the computer noticed the connection, her shields fired up and extended to encompass the two craft. With her defenses activated, she felt the constant pressure upon her mind fade away as her vision returned to normal.

She'd done it.

"Damn you!" roared Andross, knocking her out of her moment of blissful silence. "How!"

Fara had no response to that answer. She didn't want to talk to the maniacal ape anyway. Instead, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and fired up her engine, the Arwing in tow doing the same. While she now had the extra mass to worry about in maneuvering, she felt that with the additional engine, as well as the added maneuvering thrusters, she should be able to control the conjoined craft with little difficulty.

And she needed it, as Andross was furious. "Do you seriously think that your little parlor tricks will be enough to defeat me? Your life is mine."

She shook her head at his continued insults, unable to believe that she'd somehow broken free of the ape's mental grasp. She knew this fight was far from over however, as the steel girders began their advance once more. Diving out of the way, she tried again to wake Fox up. "Fox, it's Fara. Respond, please."

Wishing she'd get a reply, she continued to dodge and evade Andross' attacks. Finding what looked to be an opening, she fired her blasters, the Arwing beneath copying her every move. Before they could strike home, the steel intercepted her attack and absorbed the damage.

Before she could curse over the blocked shot, an exhausted groan emanated over her headset. Hope coursed through her as she asked, "Fox, is that you?"

"Ugh. What…what happened?"

"If he did to you what he did to me, Andross tried to take over your mind."

Images flashed through Fox's vision and reminded him of what he'd just been through. He winced at the dug up memories once more. "Oh."

Left without any line of fire, or any options at all as far as combat went, Fara turned and ran, boosters glowing brightly behind her. "You okay?"

He looked around in surprise upon noticing that his controls were responding to his teammate's movements up above. "I'll live. How are…" He trailed off, not sure how to continue, or what to even ask.

She checked her sensors as she made a guess as to what he was asking, pleased for the moment that she had escaped Andross. The head seemed to be moving towards her however, so she had no idea how long she could keep it up. "The shields are somehow blocking Andross' mind attacks. When I dropped them a bit ago to connect us…he almost got me."

"Ah." He winced as pieces of his past floated through his mind again, memories that should have stayed buried. He tried to forget them as he continued. "What…what about the controls?"

She looked around for an escape route from this chamber she was in, swerving away from a girder that tried to crash into their rear. She found it hard to believe that there seemed to be nothing nearby. Every place had an escape route, and every target had a weak point. Unfortunately in her case, neither seemed to be true right now. "It's like how we merged together a while ago, one Arwing overriding the other."

Fox shook his head, clearing the last of the cobwebs inside. "Can it be reversed?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Do it."

Fara dove suddenly and narrowly missed another piece of steel. Without looking at her sensors, she knew that Andross was right behind her, just based on the frequency of attacks. Her so-called lead was anything but right now. And now Fox wanted this. "Why?"

He sounded deathly serious as he replied. "Because there's no way out of here. Because if I had a choice, I'd break off and attack him alone. Because that damned crazy ape will die today, no matter what. Choose your reason."

Did she dare turn the controls over to someone who'd already lost once to the ape? Could she live with herself if Fox never got the revenge he so rightfully deserved? What if they didn't survive the day because of this decision? She sighed upon realizing that there was only the one answer to choose. "All right."

"Thank you."

Fara started punching in the commands necessary to do the switch, somehow continuing to dodge out of the way of Andross' now continuous attacks at the same time. "Thank me after we've gotten out of this alive, okay?" 

"Deal."

* * *

Meanwhile, Peppy and Slippy were crawling through the ventilation ducts of the power plant, the hare complaining about their situation. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"The computer said it was," Slippy whispered back. "Why would it be wrong?"

The pair had broken into their target via the main doors, ducking into what looked to be the control room when they happened upon a slew of patrolling guards. Displayed on one of the many monitors inside was a technical layout of the plant. By pure chance, the main ventilation line passed through the room and gave them an easy way to their objective.

"True," muttered Peppy as he tried his best to ignore his complaining muscles. Fortunately, the duct was more than large enough to accommodate them, but it still was uncomfortable as all hell.

Slippy rounded the corner and suddenly stopped. "We're there," he hissed behind him. He looked through the grate and made note of where the guards and workers were, as well as the lone exit from the room. Satisfied with what he saw, he began undoing the grate as silently as he could.

Peppy dug through the bag he'd been dragging behind him and looked for the weapons and devices they'd brought along. As he did that, he wondered why the toad was in the lead, as he was anything but the adventurous and daring type. "Three grenades and a mask are by your right foot."

"Okay." Slippy reached back and assembled his goods, placing the mask upon his face. "Fire in the hole," he whispered as he pushed aside the grate with one paw and made sure the mask was secure with the other. He twisted the grenades, releasing their powerful sleeping agent, and tossed them forward.

One grenade landed with a clank upon the metal floor right in front of the only exit, the other pair settling on either side of the workers. The lizards panicked for only a few moments before succumbing to the sleep gas, crumbling to the ground in a heap. Slippy peered through the residue and made sure everybody was out like a light. "We're clear," he said after half a minute.

Peppy closed up the bag and peered past the toad into the room below. "Nice work."

"Thanks." He smiled, this being one of the first times he'd ever been directly involved in a mission. He didn't know exactly why he insisted on doing the dirty work, but in the end, he enjoyed it. "Looks to be about a five foot drop. Ready?"

"Right behind you."

Trying to maintain relative silence, Slippy pulled the grate into the vent and shoved it to one side. He turned around and crawled out, the hare holding on to his paws as he was lowered to the ground. He dropped into a crouch and pulled out his blaster, searching for targets as the bag landed beside him. Peppy followed after a moment. "Clear."

The hare grabbed two spherical objects off his belt and offered them to his teammate. "You want to do the honors?"

Slippy laughed, his voice dull as it echoed inside the mask. "We both will." He looked around and debated on the most effective location to set off the EMP grenades. Two large banks of computers rose from the ground, sitting right next to an array of control stations. It looked to be as good of a spot as any. "The computers on the floor to either side."

Peppy nodded, a slight smile, albeit hidden, breaking across his normally serious expression. He hefted his sphere and tried to judge its weight, remembering one of the noisier ways the team had fun on their off times back on Papetoon. "Bowling for destruction, my friend?"

The toad looked over and laughed. "Definitely. Hold on one second though." He walked over to the doors and triggered the electronic eye to open them, guessing that they wouldn't be working shortly. After making sure their exit route was clear, he turned back around. "Ready."

The pair set the timers on the delicate electronic devices and wound up to throw, tossing them after a moment's delay. The spheres clattered across the metal floor and came to rest right next to their goal. As the countdown expired, they exploded into a crackling blue glow, shooting arcs of energy into everything nearby.

The damage was immediate as every light in the room died instantly, the slight rumble of the generators that had echoed throughout their journey falling silent as well. Finding that there seemed to be no emergency lighting, or that they'd knocked that out too, Peppy pulled out a flashlight. "Looks like it worked."

Slippy retrieved his own light from a back pocket and shined it around the room. "That it does."

The hare unhooked the last EMP grenade from his belt and tossed it towards the consoles just in case. It exploded as it struck home, briefly blinding the pilots. Blinking to restore his vision, he turned towards the exit, flashlight lighting the way. "Let's get out of here."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Keeping in mind the map they'd seen earlier, the two took off running, flashlight in one hand, blaster in the other. As they charged through the wide hallways in complete darkness, short of the bobbing illumination they carried, they encountered surprisingly few lizards in their path. What ones they did were quickly dispatched via their accurate shots, providing little more than a brief obstacle.

Peppy took the lead as they continued, his longer stride and better overall fitness an advantage in his running speed. Rounding another corner, he realized that his footsteps were the only ones echoing in the hallway. Extremely concerned, he screeched to a halt and spun back around in an attempt to find out what happened to his teammate.

Only a few seconds passed before he heard the sound of pounding boots rapidly approaching. Raising his blaster just in case, he watched as a beam of light bounced up and down on the wall nearby, growing brighter as whoever was carrying it approached.

Slippy ran into view, looking as tired as one would expect the overweight and out of shape toad to be. His jacket hung loosely on his frame, and he was ignoring everything going on around him, concentrating on his speed.

"You okay?" asked Peppy as his teammate skidded to a stop. He got only a nod in response, the toad panting heavily from the excursion. "Come on, we're almost out." 

"Yeah." He waited a few moments longer and tried to catch his breath, before he took off running once more with Peppy following.

* * *

The two Arwings shook violently as another steel girder got past Fox's skillful dodging and crashed into the craft's defenses. Gritting his teeth against the shock, he found an opening in the slew of obstacles surrounding them and dove through it without thinking. He was starting to lose confidence in his abilities, as he still hadn't gotten a single shot past Andross' protection.

"Shields weakening!" reported Fara. "G-Diffusers overloading!"

And lines like that from his teammate weren't helping one bit.

"Fox, another hit like that and we're gonna lose a G-Diffuser wing!"

He didn't need to be told what that would do for their survival. At least his anyway. "I know," he said as he formulated a plan. "Watch this!"

Twisting past another girder, the Arwings charged directly towards the giant mocking head. "What are you doing?" asked a panicked Fara as she watched the face grow larger and larger by the second.

"Trust me."

With one last roll, the Arwings passed the last of Andross' defenses. They found themselves face to face, nothing between them but empty air. Wasting no time, Fox charged towards the head and unleashed the power of his blasters upon his target. Shot after shot struck home, sparks flying every time they made contact.

"Hold on!" he yelled as he realized that he'd waited too long to make a safe turn for both craft, so pleased he was with his success at finally being able to do damage to the ape. He cut the engine, pointed the craft vertically, and punched the boosters as hard as he could. The collision alarm blared as his ship rattled from the stress, and he swore that he saw the shields register a hit as he drew too close to Andross' forehead.

The craft shot past the face and sped towards his defenses once more. They didn't get that far, however.

Suddenly, Andross turned, opened his mouth, and abused his telekinesis power again by bringing the Arwings to a bone-jarring halt. The overworked G-Diffusers failed spectacularly in a shower of sparks, pushed drastically beyond their limit. With a sickening crunch, Fox's left G-Diffuser wing tore free from his craft, staying attached to Fara's, while the ones on the other side separated without additional damage.

Fara was flung back into her seat as she broke free of Andross' grasp, her boosters still firing. Fox's craft ripped though her shields, the carefully attuned defenses collapsing immediately. She fought to remain conscious, her battered body feeling every violent move her craft made with the G-Diffusers offline.

Fox on the other hand, was in a far worse situation. Even though his boosters were still operational, his was going the opposite direction – straight towards Andross. In addition, the ape attacked his mind again, replacing his vision with ones dragged from the depths of his worst nightmares. He screamed as he lost control of his very thoughts, sending shivers of fear down his teammate's spine. She knew she was next.

Suppressing her dread best she could, Fara swung her craft around and winced as the restraints continued to dig into her fur. She watched helplessly as Fox was pulled towards Andross' maw, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what to do. The Nova Bombs weren't going to save him now, as not only didn't she have one charged up, but she'd hit the safety limit of three already. In addition, she was as defenseless as he was.

She couldn't just sit there however. She reached over to her throttle and steadied herself for acceleration shock, when a remarkable altercation happened before her.

Andross changed.

His giant, frightening face suddenly dissolved and transformed back to the collection of steel girders she saw when she first entered, now covered in scorch marks from when they attacked it before. The steel floating in the chamber stopped revolving around the pilots and shot away, gravity or some other force taking command upon them. What passed for eyes opened wide in shock and glowed a deep red. As far as she figured, something had happened to Andross' mental control.

The force that was dragging Fox to his doom evaporated, sending the Arwing rocketing forward in its intended direction. The pilot within was shaken back to wakefulness as the painful images vanished from his mind. As he slowly regained his senses, the first thing he did was kill the alarms blaring in his cockpit. Only then did he gently slow his craft to a halt.

"Fox, you okay?" asked Fara as she moved towards the other Arwing. She continued to watch Andross, or at least the metallic form that used to be him, but he seemed to be floating there silently.

He coughed in response. "No," he responded weakly as he brought his craft around to face the ape. He narrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked upon the mass of steel that vaguely looked like his original target. "What happened to Andross?"

"No clue. He just changed back when he released you."

"Well…see that glow where the eyes are?"

"Yeah."

"Let's make it stop."

She laughed. "Okay."

Left with no other obvious solution, the two Arwings advanced and headed slowly towards their target as the backups for the G-Diffusers still hadn't kicked in. The metal began to warp from their missed shots, and the eyes seemed to absorb the firepower aimed at them, glowing briefly for a moment after every hit.

The head continued to sit there, non-responsive to the damage it was taking. It wasn't until its left eye exploded from Fara's shots, rocking the whole face in the process, did Andross finally respond. "You can never defeat me! I will have my revenge upon you all!"

Fox's response was simple. "Let's see you do it from beyond the grave. This is for my parents!" He fired one last burst of blasters into the other eye and pulled away.

A series of mini-explosions were visible across the surface of the face, seemingly at random. A few seconds later, a gigantic fireball erupted from the center, engulfing the mass of steel and rapidly expanding outward to threaten the pilots. "I found the exit!" yelled Fara.

The vulpine veered towards her craft, boosters glowing brightly as he tried to stay ahead of the flame. It looked like it was going to consume the entire chamber and then some based on how quickly it was growing. "I'm right—"

"It's still closed!"

Cursing, he checked his sensors for confirmation while ignoring the fire nipping at his exhaust. It took him but only a moment to verify her findings. He had only one option, one that he was glad that he was ready for. "Get out of the way! Firing a Nova Bomb!"

She hastily slid to one side and quieted her blasters. As soon as Fox had a clear line of fire, he fired.

The radiant ball of energy shot unerringly towards its target, looking like an angel of light. It collided with the sealed gate, vaporizing the metal as well as the surrounding construction with its usual blinding flash. As the explosion subsided, it revealed their way to freedom and prompted a short cheer from the pilots.

"Take the lead, Fox," said Fara as she slowed down slightly.

"Negative. Repair systems are still trying to bring the shields and G-Diffuser backups online. You at least have shields. Stay in front."

"All right."

The pilots shot into the tunnel they'd originally entered a short while ago, both feeling like it'd been hours instead only a few minutes. Once inside, they found that their escape was just as dangerous as the battle they'd recently won. The electronics buried inside the walls were constantly sparking and shorting, and gases of an unknown type were leaking everywhere. Fox winced constantly as he advanced, hoping that what he passed through wouldn't cripple his already vulnerable ship.

They hurriedly continued, passing by fallen chunks of wall and launch stations for the fighter craft. As they neared the exit, explosions began to erupt all around them, narrowly missing them multiple times. "We're almost there," said Fara, talking to hide her nervousness. "Just a bit—"

The passageway on her right hand side detonated outward, her craft vanishing inside the resulting fireball. "Fara!" yelled Fox as he slowed his Arwing down and waited for the flames to dissipate.

Static resolved into her voice a few seconds later as he shot through the residual smoke, his sensors informing him that the passageway was clear. "I…I'm okay. The shields held."

He dodged around a piece of falling support and touched off the boosters once more as the wall began to collapse behind it. "Thank goodness."

"Yeah." That last hit was close. Too close. Shaking her head at the memories of how her first battle ended, she twisted her craft in place and squeezed through a pile of metal that had partially filled the passageway. She was going to get through this alive no matter what. She'd won. Nothing was going to stop her now.

A few chirps from his computer told Fox that his shields and G-Diffusers had finally come back online, giving him some protection from the elements. Glad to know that every movement wasn't going to be a jarring one anymore, he concentrated on escaping from this fiery hellhole they were in. They were close. He could feel it.

"I see it!" exclaimed Fara upon seeing the green sky up ahead. She unloaded with her blasters upon seeing that the opening would be a tight fit in its current state. Pieces of metal and debris turned to slag upon her assault, carving out a hole like an expert craftsman. Hitting her retros as she neared, she tilted her Arwing to the side and lined herself up for a perfect exit.

Fox watched as Fara made a clean getaway, her boosters igniting as she left the confines of the base. He followed the same maneuver she did, and after a moment, found himself free as well. "Hell yeah!" he shouted, ecstatic at having escaped what looked to be their doom.

Peppy's voice interrupted his celebration. "Fox, what—"

"Not now! Everyone, head for the atmosphere! This place is gonna blow!"

"Always have all the fun," muttered Falco as his boosters ignited and propelled him into the sky.

Fox ignored the comment, spending his time watching the base behind him via his sensors. It was going to go up in flames any—

With a force far stronger than a half-dozen Nova Bombs combined, the entire base exploded into a gigantic ball of flame, debris shooting hundreds of feet into the air. The shockwave from the blast obliterated the buildings across a city block, and was powerful enough to actually part the clouds themselves far above. The Arwings were tossed around like toys, the raw skill of the pilots the only thing keeping them aloft.

As the four reached orbit, they turned as one and looked at the devastation far below. A portion of what used to be Venom's main city was no longer there, or damaged so heavily that it was nearly uninhabitable. Fires raged all around where the base used to stand, and a field of rubble was visible, coating everything nearby like a winter's snow.

"Shit, Fox, remind me to never get you angry."

"Very funny, Falco."

"By the Creator… Did you kill him though?"

"We killed something that sure looked like him."

"How did he do that, Fox? The whole…transforming thing?"

"A good question, Fara. A very good question."

"Transforming?"

"I'll explain later, old friend. For now…" Fox turned away from the utter destruction that once again he'd caused, and tried to figure out what to say to the crew back home about his successful mission. As it was, he didn't know what would happen when he returned home, thanks to his creative borrowing of an Arwing. At least he had the whole 'ended the war' aspect on his side, or so he thought.

"What's on your mind, Fox?" asked Peppy.

"Nothing and everything."

"Can we leave then?" asked Falco. "There's gonna be one hell of a party in our name when we return. There better be."

Fox laughed. "Yeah. One second." A multitude of possible things to say to the base floated through his mind. With such a drastic time delay from here to Corneria, at least until they got into much more friendly territory, extended communication would be difficult at best. He decided to go the simple route. "Come in Corneria."

As expected, the pilots had a lengthy delay before the hail returned to them. They started their journey home, not wanting to stick around to see if there were any other defending forces in the area. Nevertheless, Pepper's terse response came to them eventually. "This is Corneria, Pepper speaking. Congratulations, on a job well done."

"Roger. I'm heading back to Corneria."

The team sat in silence after Fox's response and watched as Venom grew smaller and smaller in the distance. "Do you have any idea how anti-climatic that sounded?" asked Fara half a minute later.

"Our great leader tired after finally saving the galaxy?" joked Falco.

"Very funny, both of you." A second later, his seriousness broke away upon coming to the conclusion that Falco was right in one aspect. "We've won! We've finally won!"

"Hell yeah!"

"And I couldn't have done it without each and every one of you!"

The whole team cheered. "Yeah!"

"Now let's get the hell out of here! We have a celebration to attend!" 

"Yeah!" 


	42. The Party

Andross has been defeated and the war is over. Or it at least looks that way. What do I mean exactly? You'll have to read this chapter to find out.

Janus - I remember that horrid line from SF64 and vowed to never, ever use it in my writing. I still shudder at the horrible pun whenever I hear it. As far as the Nova Bomb thought goes though, the scene just appeared in my head when I wrote it. As I know of the details of the Manhatton Project, it could be where my mind got it from, but I didn't realize it at the time.

* * *

**Chapter 42: The Party**

_I can't believe it, the war is finally over. We've won. We've actually won. Andross is dead._ – Fox

_Wow. Just…wow. I don't know if it was luck or skill, but the war is over. Peace returns, all thanks to Fox and the team._ – Fara

_Damn it! Another battle that somehow I missed. And this one ended the war. There better be some dancing squirrels back home in payment._ – Falco

_Revenge has been served. The pain and punishment that Fox has lived through all these years has hopefully come to an end._ – Peppy

_Now I understand why Fox and Falco enjoy covert missions so much. Too bad I won't get another chance with the war's end._ – Slippy 

Compared to what had occurred in the last few hours, the flight home was extremely dull. The pilots spent the time chatting amongst themselves, Fox and Fara taking center stage as they described what had happened. The others listened intently, wanting to know every detail of Andross' destruction.

Afterwards, the team sat back and partied in their own ways, letting out their pent up energy. While the celebration in their honor was close at hand, the entire team was simply too excited for their own good. Fox remembered how good of a mood they were in when they won their first battle. This was exactly like that, only amplified a dozen times.

Eventually, he grew tired of the chatter between his teammates. After telling them to quiet down, he muted his radio and closed his eyes. He knew that he wouldn't be getting any sleep inside the confines of his Arwing, but he needed to be oblivious to the universe for just a bit longer. The rest of the day would be anything but silent, that much he knew. 

"The rest of my life will be anything but quiet," he muttered as he resigned himself to his fate.

* * *

As expected, the entire staff of the base was on hand as the Arwings landed. From the relative silence from his craft, Fox eyed everyone and looked down at them with a smile. As much as he hated the attention, he now knew it was a necessary part about being a hero. He either had to live with it or simply get out of the profession. And it was just a bit too late for the latter.

He glanced at the rest of his team and wondered what was going through their minds. They were all still seated, cockpits closed, as if waiting for something. It quickly dawned on him based on their looks to him that they were all simply waiting for him to make the first move. Grinning at the honor, he told them, "Guys, I've been ordering you all around quite a bit these last few weeks. That's done now. However, I do have one last order – let's get out there and have some fun. And if the General wants my head, well, enjoy the rest of your lives."

The pilots laughed as Fox popped open the cockpit. The assembled crowd cheered a few times and then went silent as he vaulted to the ground below. Pepper emerged and slowly walked over as the rest of the team assembled behind the vulpine.

The canine had a look of disappointment as he looked down upon the pilots, his eyes drifting from person to person. They finally came to rest upon Fox, whose gaze he held for a few seconds before he closed his eyes with a sigh. "Junior, Junior, Junior… What am I going to do with you?"

He was afraid of this. "Sir?"

Pepper stared at him like he was boring into his soul. However, there seemed to be a twinkle in his eyes, a certain something he was keeping hidden. "Let me put it this way. You've somehow broken out of a prison cell, stolen an Arwing, used it to launch an unauthorized assault mission, risked the lives of your teammates, and worse of all, risked the lives and future of everybody in this system with your idiotic actions."

"I know."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

A multitude of things to say passed through Fox's mind. Try as he might to say something else, he knew that there was only the one correct answer. "No, sir. I accept full responsibility for my and my team's actions. They were only following my orders."

"Do you take full responsibility on winning this war then?"

"Sir, I…" He quieted as he realized what he'd just heard. He then noticed the grin on Pepper's face, clearly showing that the gig was up. "No way in hell. I couldn't have done it without each and every one of them."

He reached forward and grasped one of Fox's paws in both of his and shook it vigorously. "I have no idea how you did it, and frankly, I don't care. You've done the impossible, Junior. You've won this war. The entire Lylat system holds you in a debt for your valiant efforts that can never be repaid. Congratulations."

The vulpine smiled. "Thank you."

Pepper turned around and bellowed out, "Let's hear it for the Starfox team!" A roar of support and approval echoed throughout the stone chamber. Not happy with what he heard, he raised his paws for a moment of silence. "I can't hear you!" A second roar reverberated through the room, far louder than the first.

The team beamed from the noise, knowing that the people here were as enthusiastic about the victory as the rest of the system. It made all the difficulties and hardships worth it. They'd be revered the rest of their lives. 

They were heroes.

* * *

Afterwards, the team was all but dragged to the mess hall upstairs. From there the true celebration began. Drinks of any kind and description were available to those who wanted them. A few of the more musically inclined personnel took it upon themselves to break out some instruments from their rooms and started jamming.

The team became the center of the excitement as they sat down and talked about their final mission. Fox and Fara were the lead attraction as expected, describing every detail as they faced down Andross and the remainder of his forces. When they finished their story, the crowd broke into a cheer, this one amplified by their drink.

Afterwards, the staff broke up, dispersing into the rest of the mess hall as they continuously chanted the team's name. The pilots looked amongst themselves, smiles on their faces.

All except one. "Slippy, what's wrong?" asked Fox.

"I…I don't feel too good."

"You do look greener than usual," commented Falco half-drunkenly.

"Falco, please." Fox looked over his teammate, figuring it was a combination of the back-seat flying and the sudden partying that had done him in. "Go take a rest. We'll be fine."

"Thanks." He stood up unsteadily on his feet and held the table for balance. It looked like he'd topple over any moment.

Peppy moved to make sure that wouldn't happen. "I got you."

Fox jumped to his feet. "No, I'll—"

"You can't leave, Fox. You're the hero, remember?" He grinned. "Besides, I could use a break away from this commotion as well."

He nodded. "Okay. Come back soon."

"Will do."

The partying crowd parted for the pair, only watching them for a moment before going back to their celebrating. The pilots watched as well, worrying about their teammates. "I hope Slippy isn't getting sick again," said Fox.

"You didn't have to fly backseat with Peppy," commented Falco around his drink. "That'd get anyone sick."

Fox chuckled. "Yeah."

Fara continued watching the crowd. She thought she spotted a familiar pair in the back. "Guys, if you'll excuse me for a bit."

"You leaving too?" asked the vulpine.

She shook her head. "Na. I saw somebody I wanted to talk to." She grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be here incase Pepper decides to give out some award or something." 

"Okay." Left alone, the two pilots picked up their glasses and clinked them together in a toast over their successes, glad to simply be alive.

* * *

Fara wandered through the crowd, nodding to those who congratulated her once again. She wished she could simply leave, as this mob of a crowd was not her style, but the fact that she'd saved the galaxy kept her around. Thankfully for her sanity, she noticed Miyu and Fay on the far side of the mess hall, away from most of the people.

"What's up, you two?" she asked with a smile as she took a seat.

"Enjoying the relative silence," replied Miyu. "Drink?"

"Had too much already."

"Nothing wrong with letting yourself go," joked Fay. "You've just saved the galaxy. Get plastered."

The vixen laughed. "And end up like how Falco will be shortly? No thanks."

"Good point."

Afterwards, the threesome just sat and chatted. From their point in the room they could sit and watch the staff wander to and fro, talking and drinking with one another. Not a care in the world was visible of their faces as all threat of the war had been eliminated with the team's victory.

Eventually she retold her story of what had happened during the final battle, but this time around she added in her personal thoughts, giving the story a whole new light for her friends. They discussed that as well as other things, the time passing quickly by.

Almost an hour had passed before she realized that she should return to her team. She figured that the media was going to be very interested in their exploits shortly and she wanted to know what Fox had planned to say. "Well, you two, it's been fun as always. I really should go back though."

"And leave us with this mob?" said Fay. "How nice of you."

She smiled. "Funny. I gotta talk to Fox about the media actually."

"A prudent plan of action," said Miyu.

"Before I go though, I want to thank you both for everything. Especially when you helped Fox out of—" She stopped suddenly and turned around in her chair. She stared at the partygoers as if trying to find something amid the cheering mass.

"Fara?" Fay's call of concern brought her spinning back to face the pair. "Are you okay?"

Fara's response was just as mysterious as her previous action. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"What's wrong, Fara?" asked Miyu kindly. She'd never seen her friend act this way before and it was quickly starting to worry her.

"I…I don't know." She looked around her nervously. She thought she heard Fox call out her name. But it sounded distant, as if he was much farther away than simply the other end of the room. "Something…is wrong. I don't know what. I gotta go."

The two looked at her with concern as she stood up and hurriedly walked off without another word. "Should we follow her?" asked Fay.

Miyu shook her head after a moment's thought. "No, let her be."

"What's wrong with her then?"

"If I didn't know her so well, I'd say something like post-war jitters or something. But she's not that kind of person."

"I'm worried."

"This base is one of the safest places on Corneria. Nothing is going to happen inside these walls." 

Fay nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

Fara pushed her way through the throng of people, working her way back to where Fox and the team were. Squeezing her way past a dancing pair, she gasped as she found the table to be completely empty.

Standing up on one of the chairs, she looked around the room and tried to figure out where they were. After making a complete circle and getting a few curious glances her way in the process, she jumped back down far more worried than before.

The entire team was nowhere to be found.

Hoping that they simply moved up to the bar, Fara worked her way on over. She caught the attention of one of the bartenders with her frantic movements as she arrived. "Would you like a drink, Ms. Phoenix?"

"Where's Fox and Falco?"

He blinked in surprise at the question. "Oddly enough, both of them got calls a few minutes apart not too long ago. They ran off as soon as they got them."

"Thanks." She turned and left as fast as she could, shoving her way past anybody who got in her way. Something was wrong. Something was dreadfully wrong. She didn't know how or why, but she just knew it. 

And it scared the hell out of her.

* * *

Once she broke free of the mob, she ran as fast as she could, her boots pounding hard on the carpeted hallway. She didn't pass a soul as she journeyed to the only place she could think of – her room. From there she could easily tap into the security system of the base and figure out where the rest of the team was.

Were they in trouble? Were they simply setting up their own personal party somewhere else? If it was the latter, why hadn't they talked to her yet? And how could anything happen inside the protective confines of the base? These and many other questions floated through her mind as the corridor passed by.

Breathing heavily, she finally came to her room. It only took a moment before she punched in the code to open the door and peered inside to make sure it was unoccupied before entering. She practically vaulted over the chair next to her computer as she was in so much of a hurry to find the information she needed.

She didn't get quite that far though.

As her fingers lay splayed to type in the commands to break into security, the screen changed and notified her that she had a call. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart before answering, incase something was wrong. The call wasn't from one of the normal rooms. And that worried her even more than she was now. "Fara here."

Fox's voice sprung to life over her speakers, relieving her somewhat. "Fara, it's Fox. Not in the mess hall anymore?"

Her mind raced as it tried to find an answer that would cover any situation. "I just stopped by my room to pick up something. What's up?"

"I need you to stop by our lounge as soon as you can."

"What's wrong?"

"I'll explain once you get here. Just hurry."

"Okay."

"Fox out."

She sat there and stared at the blank screen as the vulpine killed the communication. Something didn't seem right to her about the conversation, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She knew that the camera attached to the screen there broke a few days ago for some reason or another, so that wasn't it. Her original worries from before sprang up, and she knew she had to get to the bottom of whatever this was before she followed Fox's request.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she punched in the access codes to enter the security system. As soon as she had access, she pulled up the sensor logs and looked over the ones attached to the team's lounge. It didn't take long before the results scrolled by, showing that the team had entered the room, Peppy and Slippy at the same time, Falco about 15 minutes afterwards, and Fox another 10 after that. But it showed nobody leaving.

That didn't mean too much though. Digging deeper into the security protocols, she accessed the live camera feeds from around the base. While the rooms themselves didn't have anything installed in them, she knew the team's break area did have one in it.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

Slippy was standing there with his face taking up most of the camera's visual range, looking like he was trying to locate the hidden camera itself. That in itself wasn't too unusual. Just extremely strange though.

The unconscious forms of both Fox and Peppy in the corner of the image were anything but normal.

Her eyes shot wide open as she stared at the pair making sure of what she saw. They were both slumped to one side and clearly not awake to the world around them. Their paws were behind their backs out of sight, and she thought she saw some sort of cloth wrapped around their ankles, keeping them from moving even if they were alert.

Suddenly, Slippy reared back with his paw and slammed it into the screen. The image died instantly and brought a total silence to the room short of the pounding of her heart.

What could she do? What could she possibly do?

After a moment's thought, she knew one thing – she was the team's only chance. If security barged into that room, who knew what would happen. Did Slippy have a gun? Would he make sure that he took the team down before he died in a blaze of blaster fire? What possessed the toad to do this in the first place? What could he possibly want?

No matter what, her odds were going to be better than the rest of the team. Her advance information had insured her of that. In addition, she had a few surprises she was going to bring with her, something that the others didn't have.

She had to do one thing first though, incase she failed. She shuddered as she thought that, realizing that her odds of survival if she did fail were astronomically low. "Computer," she said to the air around her as she moved to her bed.

The computer chirped and acknowledged her request. "Computer, message send…" She paused as she suddenly changed her mind. "Correction. Computer, delay five minutes, message send, priority one, General Pepper." As she talked, she pushed a hidden button on the circular nightstand next to her bed. The exterior swiveled in place and revealed a hidden compartment.

She heard a double chirp from her computer, letting her know it was ready for recording. She pulled out her jetpack boots and her enhanced blaster from inside, checking over both as she talked. "General Pepper, this is Fara. Something has gone terribly wrong with Slippy. Somehow, for reasons I simply don't know, he's captured the entire Starfox team and of right now is currently holding them hostage in the team's lounge."

She switched boots and strapped them up as tight as she could in the off chance she'd have to use them. Not like she could without burning down the entire base anyway. "I saw the security footage of the team tied up moments before Slippy shattered the hidden camera with his paws. Check the logs if you want. It'll show the team entering the room, including myself, and nobody leaving."

She placed the blaster she usually wore around the base onto her bed as she stuck her improved one in its holster. She knew she wouldn't pass through any sensors that would detect the unregistered weapon, so she was safe to use it. At least until she fired it. That is if the sensors were still working in the lounge. "Incase you're wondering, I sent this message five minutes ago. If I haven't told you that all is clear, get security into the lounge on the double. I've obviously failed to save the team."

"I wish this is all some hoax. I really do. But something is terribly wrong. What little I saw threatens everything we've done since we started fighting back. And it scares the hell out of me. I hope you don't have to hear this without me telling you to ignore it first. I really do. But if I don't…please hurry. Fara out. Computer, end recording." 

Having said everything she needed to say, she made sure her blaster was securely tucked away before leaving. She had a team to save.

* * *

Fara knew she was working against the clock. The doors passed by as a blur as she ran towards the lounge. Once again she passed not a soul in the process, bluntly reminding her that she was completely on her own.

All too soon her goal loomed before her. She took a deep breath as she fingered her blaster, making sure it was easily accessible. After giving a quick tug on her shirt to make sure she didn't look as tense as she felt, she fingered the button to open the door.

It silently swished open, revealing little of the interior. Making it look like she knew nothing of what was truly happening inside, she walked right in.

Things started to happen very fast at that point.

As she passed the entryway, she got a clear view of Fox and Peppy. They were both in the exact same position as she saw before, but from this angle she could clearly see that their paws were tied behind their backs.

At that instant, the door slid shut.

Before she could think about escaping, the lights snapped off. In addition, she heard a loud thump on the carpeted floor right behind her.

Acting on pure instinct, she somersaulted forward. After rolling a few feet, she jumped up and spun around towards the door with her blaster drawn. She stared through the darkness with her ears pointed forward and tried to figure out what caused the noise.

She quickly got the answer, just not the way she expected. The lights sprung to life just as quickly as they died, blinding her momentarily. As her vision recovered, she found herself a few feet away from Slippy.

Taking careful aim, she decided she might as well give the toad one chance to explain himself. "What the hell is going on here?"

Slippy just stood there and grinned.

"Answer me!"

This time he did, but not the way she wanted him to. He took one slow step forward, then another. It was if he was mocking her somehow and tempting her to fire.

"Stop!" she yelled as she backed away.

He continued his slow advance.

Something deep down told her that she did not want the toad anywhere near her. Left with no other option, she fired.

Her shot streaked across the room, aimed unerringly towards one of his legs. Slippy made absolutely no attempt to dodge, which struck her as odd.

What happened next was even more so.

Instead of the sickening splat of a blaster bolt striking flesh, she was greeted with the zing of her shot hitting metal. For good measure, she fired into the other leg and got the same results.

Her expression of fear turned to one of shock as she realized her weapon had no effect. Was he armored under that flight suit? Or was there something else going on?

Slippy's grin grew as he noticed the expression on her face. "Something wrong?" he mocked, opening his arms wide.

"What do you want!" Irrational fear was gnawing at the back of her mind. If her blaster didn't work, could she take him on in melee combat?

"Your death!" he replied as happily as a kid in a candy store.

She continued to back up and passed by the unconscious team. Why couldn't they take him on hand to hand? What was going on? Why wasn't her trusty sidearm working?

Fara let out a panicked roar of frustration. She had to get out of there, but this toad was blocking her, threatening her existence. She let out a barrage of blaster shots, hoping that one of them would strike something vulnerable. She no longer cared if she severely injured or even killed the other pilot.

As before, every shot hit its intended target. Every shot was wasted as well as they had the exact same effect. It was like she was shooting at the armor of an Arwing instead of the flesh and blood toad in front of her.

A thought passed through her mind as Slippy began laughing maniacally for no reason she could fathom. She could punch through an Arwing's hull. She had the firepower.

Her foot suddenly connected with something solid, causing her to stumble. A quick glance back told her that she'd hit the lone couch sitting by itself in the far corner of the lounge.

Time was something she no longer had.

She flicked the hidden switch on her blaster and moved behind the couch. She then tucked the weapon back into its holster as well. All she needed was a few seconds for it to charge, nothing more.

Slippy was not going to give her that.

He quickly advanced and blocked off her escape routes. "This seems so familiar somehow," he said. "Oh, that's right. This is exactly where Fox fell. There's a gun on the floor right next to you in fact."

Fara felt fear grip her soul once more as she wondered what Fox felt in his last moments of consciousness. She shook it off as she stared into the toad's face, knowing that she now had a goal in front of her. She just had to keep away—

The toad suddenly bounded forward around the left side of the couch. He moved far faster than she'd ever seen him move. She responded by vaulting over the couch, scrunching up to go into a roll afterwards.

She never got that far.

She lurched to a halt as Slippy grabbed her left foot by the ankle. Her breath was knocked out of her as she landed hard on the cushions. Gasping for air, she struggled to get free, but despite her best efforts, the toad had a vice-like hold on her.

"Nimble little bitch, aren't we?" said Slippy in a low tone.

Bitch? Nobody had ever called her that before. Short of one person anyway.

Andross.

There was no way that was Slippy behind her.

She continued to squirm, using her free foot to kick the toad in the face. Failing that, she grabbed the couch and tried to flip right side up to possibly use her weapon, but the toad wasn't yielding his grip in the slightest.

"Still fighting?" asked Slippy. "Fine. Let's make sure you don't try to escape again."

She suddenly let out a gasp of pain. Slippy had shifted his grip, squeezing steadily harder with each passing second. While her metal-lined boots offered some resistance, she could feel the pressure increasing rapidly. He was going to crush her ankle if he continued.

She had to escape now. No matter the cost.

And she could only think of one possible solution.

Arcing her back so she wouldn't shatter her spine, she reached over and touched the small wristband that contained the controls for her jetpack boots. Moving her free foot so it was pointing directly at the toad's face, she tapped the ignition button for full power.

Slippy held on for only a second as the flames burned into him before letting go. Fara tumbled across the room, her boots shutting down the instant she let go of the controls. With a sickening crunch, she smashed into the far wall of the room and came to rest in almost a seated position on the floor.

Her eyes glazed over as she fought to remain conscious, her entire body throbbing with pain. Sparks danced across her vision as she wearily gazed around the room, trying to comprehend what had happened.

With a snap everything came back to her; what had happened just a few short minutes ago, who she was facing, and how much danger she truly was in. She shook her head vigorously as she recovered and tried to find her aggressor.

Confusion splayed across her face as she looked around. What had happened to Slippy? Where did he go? Did she kill him?

She heard some sounds from behind the couch and realized that she didn't want to know the answer to that question anymore. Fearing for her life, the only thought on her mind was of escaping. She could find reinforcements easily enough. Staying here risked capture, if not death.

She leaned heavily against the wall for support as she rose to her feet. As soon as she tried to take a step, putting her full weight upon her left leg, she yelped in pain and dropped to the floor. Her ankle was sprained, or worse. Either way, there was no escaping.

She was trapped.

Movement from across the room drew her attention away from her debilitating injury. Her heart began to race even faster as she realized that her attacker was anything but dead. That was the least of her problems, however.

Slippy slowly marched around the couch and came completely into view. As he did, she simply couldn't believe what she was looking at.

From the chest down, it was the toad she'd known and worked beside for these many weeks. As her eyes traveled upwards from that point, they revealed something she did not expect, nor want to see.

Slippy was a robot.

The fleshly covering had roasted away from the extreme heat around his left arm and shoulder, showing the mechanical wiring and parts inside. Despite the visual damage, the arm was still fully operational. He moved the limb around its full range of motion as if to tell her he was still undamaged.

What looked far worse was the toad's head. Or what was left of it. The entire face had melted away into an unrecognizable lump of greenish flesh, hanging around his neck like a sick necklace. It revealed a metal skull with two glowing red orbs underneath. They rotated around, sometimes independent of each other, focusing on anything the AI powering Slippy decided was important.

Right now, that focus was her.

"Primary objective, the capture and return of the Starfox team to Andross, failed." Even though it looked nothing like Slippy anymore, it still sounded exactly like him. Who he was talking to was beyond her however. "Secondary objective, the death of the Starfox team, in progress."

What could she do? What could she possibly do?

Slippy looked towards the other pilots, as if he was debating who to kill first, when his attention was drawn back to Fara by a single beeping noise that emanated from her direction. She continued to look into the face of death, too scared to realize what caused that sound. Until it did it again.

It was her blaster.

Both sets of eyes were drawn to the weapon, lying on the floor just a few feet away from her. It had popped out of its holster when she smashed into the wall earlier. The beeping told her that she had a charged shot ready for use.

Knowing what she had to do, she rolled towards the weapon. A burst of pain came from her foot as it hit the ground again, but she pushed it out of her mind. She had only one chance at this. The damage she was doing to her body was secondary.

She snatched the weapon in her paws and came to rest on her stomach. As she looked through the bouncing sights, her entire body shaking in fear and pain, she thought she saw the toad grin at her.

She fired.

The bolt of energy practically screamed as it shot across the room. Her aim wasn't as accurate as she had hoped, connecting with the lower part of the damaged left arm. The limb instantly exploded in a bright flash and forced her to shut her eyes from the glare. As she opened them again, she hoped that the toad had malfunctioned from the injury.

Instead, Slippy was standing there, staring at the damage that he'd suffered. The arm promptly ended at the elbow, charred metal chunks the only sign that there ever was anything else attached to it. The paw itself was visible a few feet away on the floor, jerking uncontrollably for a few seconds before it lost power.

The glowing eyes quickly turned her way. Its programming was left confused, as its armored shell was designed to withstand any standard arms fire. This was an unplanned impossibility. It did know that it had to remove the threat of the person holding it before it suffered terminal damage.

Slippy charged.

Fara's blaster chirped again. She didn't think twice in pulling the trigger a second time, this time with the gun aimed directly at the toad's head.

Unlike before, her aim was true.

The shot lanced across the few feet separating the pair, striking Slippy right between the eyes. A moment later, the head exploded and showered the nearby area with fine particles of debris. Fara shielded her eyes with an arm, waiting for the lightshow to subside.

When she uncovered them, she knew that she'd won. Slippy was dead.

The robot stood there for a second, as if not realizing that it had been defeated, before it toppled backwards onto the carpeted floor. As it fell out of her view, her eyes met with Fox's, who at sometime during the battle had woken up from his slumber. Based on his expression, she knew that he'd seen most, if not all, of the fight.

The realization of what she'd done crashed into her like a wave as she lowered the now shaking arm that held her blaster. She'd just killed one of the members of the team. Even though he was clearly a creation of Andross, it still looked and talked like him.

How many more of these robots did the ape have under his command? How long had Slippy been a construct? What about the rest of the team? Were they flesh and blood as well, or had Andross gotten to them too? What about the rest of the base? Was there anybody she could trust?

Then there was the biggest question of them all – what had happened to Slippy?

She curled up into a quivering mass of fur, unable to take it any longer. The war was supposed to be over. They'd won. This was not supposed to be happening.

Just then, she heard the door slide open. Reacting on instinct alone she rolled on her side. Her arms trembled as she tried to aim her weapon towards whoever entered.

The base's security force charged through the opening yelling, "Security! Freeze!" The first three ran in a few steps before dropping to one knee, allowing the other triad ample firing patterns as they remained standing. They noticed the carnage instantly, as well as the threat Fara provided from her own weapon. "Put down the gun!"

Her eyes closed as the blaster dropped out of her hands. She was safe for now. Or so she hoped.

The built-up tension and conflict streamed out of her as she burst into tears. This was supposed to be a time of celebration, not one of conflict and death. She wasn't prepared for this.

She heard security move over and kick the weapon away. As soon as they declared the room safe, Pepper marched in and tried to make sense of what had happened. 

Fara didn't care. She just wanted to be left alone, trying to think of peaceful times, times when one didn't have to worry that your friends would turn into your worst enemy at a moment's notice.

* * *

And now for a rare thought after the chapter: This isn't exactly the peaceful conclusion to the battle that the team expected, no? And if I've left you (the reader) with more questions than answers, don't worry - they'll be answered in the next chapter. 


	43. When Good Times Go Bad

And, as expected, the story continues. I originally debated on ending the story last chapter (with obviously a different ending), but a few more things popped into mind as I've been writing the prior chapters. It seems that for the Star Fox team, that even in total victory there are problems. That and, well, you'll have to keep reading to find out what I have planned.

Crimson - Uh... (looks back at the last chapter) You're absolutely right - short of a quip from Fara as she looked over the security logs, there is no mention of Falco being in the room. Trust me when I say that he was there. Whoops.

Janus - Is Slippy truly dead? As you said - there's no way to find out short of more reading.

Marble - Thanks for the kind comments (as always), and now that you mention it, the comics didn't end at Andross' death either. Let's just say that I'm done using the comics as a very rough guideline from here on out.

RedBay - Amazing how some things just happen at the same time, no?

* * *

**Chapter 43: When Good Times Go Bad**

_We…we won this war. How could this be happening? Andross is dead, isn't he? His whole base went supernova. I saw it! Nothing could have survived that explosion. Nothing. But now… –_ Fara

_How could Andross create such a perfect replica like that? He had us all fooled. If it wasn't for Fara's quick thinking, we'd all be captured right now. Or worse. –_ Fox 

Pepper looked over his pilots with extreme concern. Had anybody else been replaced with an android? How had this happened in the first place? Why hadn't the base's bio-scanners picked up the rather dramatic difference in Slippy when the team landed earlier?

This and many other questions floated through his mind as he stood idly by in the medical bay. The six members of his security team were standing around the room, guns trained on the pilots as a precaution. The pilots were blatantly aware of this as they sat as still as they could on the medical beds away from each other.

After making one last check of Slippy, whose remains lay in a heap on yet another bed, Zhen worked her way over to Pepper. At the same time, Devan walked to each of the guards in turn and passed a handheld scanner over them. "And the results?" asked the General quietly.

"Your pilots are all whom they appear to be," replied the panda as she tucked her scanner into a pocket.

"As are your guards," said Devan as he walked up. He passed the scanner over Pepper as well and showed him the results of everyone in the room. "We're all 100 bona fide flesh and blood."

"So, General, if you'd be so kind to remove your guards from the premises, I'd greatly appreciate it. I don't want to deal with somebody getting shot after this recent incident."

Pepper nodded. "Security, you are dismissed."

"Yes, sir," they said simultaneously. They then turned as a group and marched out.

The pilots visibly relaxed as they no longer had a weapon pointed their way. Everybody moved towards the center of the room where Fara and Slippy lay. The vixen looked down at the knee-height boot she was wearing, filled with the same compound that she hated so dearly, and sighed. "And the team stays at four."

"Why didn't the sensors around the base detect this?" demanded Pepper, his formally calm demeanor breaking away. "This should not have happened!"

"Yelling solves nothing, General," said Zhen. "We do have an answer for you though. Devan?"

The hare swiveled the computer monitor sitting at the work desk and showed what he was explaining. "In short, this android was designed to fool the current standard security measures implemented all across the planet. We track via three methods here – height, weight, and heartbeat."

"That…thing has a heartbeat?" asked Falco skeptically.

"Had, technically, but yes. Looks like it powers a rudimentary circulatory system used to keep the internals properly lubed and oiled."

"How did Andross get his height and weight?" asked Pepper.

"Our best guess is old school data," replied Zhen. "Following a pattern, one can extrapolate how tall one should be with that data at any age. Weight and general body mass can be gathered with visual tools, to a point, as well."

"Both were reasonably accurate," interrupted Devan. "This Slippy was an inch too tall and five pounds underweight based upon his last scan record, but both are just within the upper tolerance levels of the security system."

Pepper crossed his arms in displeasure. "Pretty loose restrictions."

Zhen nodded. "To those who spend their entire time here on the ground, yes it is. Spaceflight is surprisingly volatile to one's physiology however. Thus the extended tolerances to all pilots."

"What about the security chip embedded inside his jacket? Or the ID card he should have in his wallet?"

"That's a question for security, General."

"Pass me Slippy's jacket, Fox," said Fara. "It's on the floor next to him." He did as was asked. "Thanks." She folded the jacket multiple times around the Starfox emblem and nodded in satisfaction. Afterwards, she rifled through the pockets and found a wallet within. It only took a moment before she found the military ID card containing another security chip. "It's his jacket."

"Fuck," cursed Falco. "How long have we had this freak for a teammate?"

"Not long," replied the panda. "The body quickly readjusts to normal gravity after a few hours, and that's set into the security system as well. Assuming that the guards haven't been asleep on their posts and ignored that warning, no more than a day or two tops. Unless he avoided the sensors somehow."

As Pepper stayed quiet, Fox brought up his own thoughts. "Guys, we need to think of the times that Slippy vanished on us in the last few days."

"A sound plan," said Peppy, "but one that's far easier said than done. We've all had our lone times here at the base."

Fox nodded. "But he had Slippy's jacket. That means that he either snuck into the base somehow—"

"Which I highly doubt," commented Fara.

"—or the robot caught Slippy outside and alone somewhere." He looked over his team. "Ideas?"

"When I took you out for that jaunt around the city a few days back," said Fara. "None of you were in my sight all the time."

"Katina," suggested Falco. "When he and I landed for refueling."

"Unlikely in both counts," said Fox. "Too deep inside friendly territory and too long for the first, and too many guards around for the second."

Peppy looked up from where he was staring at the android, deep in thought. "I know exactly where and when it happened."

"Do tell."

"Inside the power station back on Venom. Slippy and I were escaping the plant after we disabled the generators. The power was completely down and there was absolutely no lighting at all short of our own flashlights. At one point I got so far ahead of him that I came to a halt to wait for him."

"I do believe we've found our answer."

He continued, feeing apologetic for causing this. "I…I never even thought that something might be wrong. Slippy seemed quiet on the way out and during the flight back, but I attributed it to how sick he looked during our journey to Venom. I didn't think. It's all my—"

"Don't you dare," interrupted Fox with a frown. "He surprised all of us. Every single one of us. We should have noticed that the team was going missing, but we were enjoying the party life too much. Thankfully we had somebody who noticed." He smiled as he looked Fara's direction." Thanks for the save, Fara. We all owe you one."

She didn't as much as respond from the compliment. She was still mulling over the battle she'd just been through. Pulling the trigger against somebody she counted as a friend was far more nerve-wracking than she ever thought it could be. What if it had been Fox? "Somebody's got to watch your back, right?"

"Right."

"Party to the point of excess," said Peppy, "but never right after a war. Or as another saying goes, 'While the head may have been killed, the body might live for a bit longer.'"

"Oh come on," grumbled Falco. "Yes, I admit it, she saved our tails back there. It doesn't mean you can go off and blabber like that. How the hell—"

Fox moved over and touched the irate avian on the shoulder. "Falco—"

He swatted away the paw. "What?"

"Not now. While you have a reason to be upset—"

"Damn right I do. This was finished. Done. Kaput." He slammed his paws onto the padded bed. "And now this shit comes along."

Pepper looked among the pilots, trying to see if the argument was finished. Noticing the silence, he continued with his questions. "So now we have a good guess when they were switched. What was the replacement's goal?"

"I can answer that," said Fara glumly. Nobody had asked her what exactly had happened in the lounge, but she had a feeling that would be Pepper's next question. It was something she wasn't yet in the mood to answer. "He said he had two objectives. The first was the capture and return of the team. After I damaged him, he switched to simply the death of us."

"Return? Did he say where?" She shook her head. "Damn." He paused and looked at the vixen for a moment. He'd been avoiding the question so far, but he needed to know the answer to it. "Fara, what exactly happened—"

Celine's voice broke into the conversation via the loudspeaker overhead. "General Pepper, contact control immediately please. General Pepper, contact control."

Devan moved from his seat as the canine approached to make the call. "Pepper here," he said as he sat down. "Report."

"Sir, two long-range communications just emanated from the medical bay. Neither of them came from any of the base's standard communication methods."

Everyone looked towards the remains of Slippy with suspicion. "What was the message and where did it go?"

"The message itself was encrypted, sir, and we're attempting to figure out the destination as well. Looks like it used Corneria's satellite communication system though. It's going to take time as there's a lot more traffic bouncing off them nowadays."

"Anything else?"

"Sir, the media is requesting an update on the war. Reports are coming in saying that the nearby planets have sighted a large explosion on Venom. Should I start informing them of the truth?"

"No, Celine. I'll be up shortly to make an official statement. Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll see you shortly then. Pepper out." He was about to stand up when he noticed the two hares staring at each other. Their confused expressions worried him greatly. "What's wrong?"

"Do you hear that?" asked Peppy.

Devan nodded. "I do."

Their sensitive hearing had picked up a high pitched whine, slowly growing in intensity. Devan didn't have a clue what it was, but Peppy had a guess. He looked at Slippy as he nervously said, "Fox, I think—"

The vulpine finally noticed the noise emanating from Slippy, as did everyone else in the room. Based on his experience in the resistance on Papetoon, he had a very good idea what was going to happen shortly. "Everybody, down!"

As his teammates jumped behind the nearest beds for safety, Fox knew that Fara was in no shape to take cover on her own. He reached over, grabbed her by the waist, and ran as fast as he could to safety with her over his shoulder.

Reaching an empty place between beds along the far wall, he dropped her on the ground and promptly covered her with his own body. He barely had time to place his paws behind his head before the room shook from an explosion.

He felt the heat and the force of the blast blow through his fur. The lights above detonated from the blast and showered glass in all directions. Arid smoke filled his nostrils and made him want to gag. Fara squirmed underneath him, but if it was because of the blast or her own nervousness, he didn't know as his eyes were shut tight.

A few seconds later he felt the effect subside. He bravely popped open one eye, then the other, and looked straight at Fara's own opened eyes. She smiled and whispered, "Thank you."

Fox smiled in return. "Anytime."

She pushed at his shoulder, her smile turning into a smirk. "Could you get off me? You're heavy."

"Sorry." Making sure the area around him was free of glass, he pushed himself to his feet. He offered a paw to her, but she just shook her head, perfectly happy to remain on the floor for the time being.

He looked around and tried to spot the others in the room. Thick smoke obstructed his view, as well as made it difficult to breathe. He covered his mouth with his sleeve best he could and yelled, "Everybody okay?"

A chorus of affirmatives and a curse from Falco reached his ears. One voice in particular he heard, coming from where he thought the computer desk was. "The smoke will be gone in a second," said Devan.

The sound of flipping mechanical switches reached Fox's ears. A set of fans on each end of the room quickly fired up and drowned out any other noise. The smoke quickly dissipated through the base's ventilation system and revealed the carnage left behind from the explosion.

The bed that Slippy was lying upon had turned to slag and scorch marks from the fireball were visible upwards of ten feet away. The vulpine's heart skipped as beat as his gaze passed upon where Fara was sitting earlier. The bed was a charred mess, the once comfortable padded top having melted away completely.

Fox knew that she would have not survived had she hobbled off the bed and used it for cover.

The fans shut off as Fox carefully worked his way over to what was left of Slippy. He didn't make it far before he was distracted by the doors opening up, revealing the security team with their blasters drawn. "Nobody move!" yelled the lion in front.

"Everything's okay," reported Pepper as he popped into view from behind the desk he'd been using as cover.

Security looked relieved to see that Pepper seemed fine. As the others looked around at the debris, the leader barked, "General, report."

"What does it look like?" exclaimed Falco as he brushed soot off his jacket. "Our former friend tried his damnedest to kill us from beyond the grave!" He raised his arms in disgust and looked at the mess. "The stupidity—"

"Falco!" roared Fox.

Pepper dropped his head and sighed. He thought that this would be one of the last days he'd have to deal with the argumentative avian. It definitely didn't look like it now. He watched as the medics made sure that everyone escaped unscathed. "Security, we're fine. Thank you for your promptness."

"Anything you need then, sir?"

"No. Dismissed."

Fox watched security leave and then turned his attention to the rest of his team. They seemed to be okay to his eyes, albeit shaken up. Perfectly understandable as far as he was concerned. One by one, the rest of his team rose into view, some more shakily than others. Fara dragged herself onto her one working leg, leaning against the bed for support. Peppy on the other hand, had an expression on his face he very rarely ever saw.

It was the look of fear.

Noticing the vulpine looking his way, he quickly changed back to his usual stoic look, but the damage had already been done. Fox made a mental note to talk with him later. That was something he'd never seen out of the team's consular, and it worried him deeply.

Zhen walked up to him and interrupted his thoughts. She passed her medical scanner over him once more and looked pleased with the results. Looking behind him at the debris, she whispered, "Fara thanks you. As do Devan and I."

He nodded and glanced over at the vixen. Imagining her being forced to spend more time stuck in the base's regeneration tanks put a shudder through his body. His previous vow of making sure that didn't happen again still stood. Glancing at her injured foot, he wondered if he had any chance of keeping it.

"How is everyone?" asked Pepper suddenly.

"Everyone's fine, General," replied Zhen as she turned around to face him.

"Short of Slippy anyway," Devan butted in.

"Good," said the canine. "Fara, I tried to ask this of you earlier, and I still need to know the answer. Especially after this disaster. What exactly happened in there with Slippy?"

Fara sighed as she pulled herself onto the bed nearby. She didn't want to relive the experiences again, but it looked like she had no other choice. Starting with when she noticed the team missing, she quickly went through her story. The others stayed quiet the entire time, a fact that she was grateful for as she didn't know if she could start up again if she stopped.

The team looked impressed as she finished her story, remembering their own brief battles with the robotic toad. Falco had closed to melee range, thinking that he could take him on with his fists, while Fox had used the avian's blaster from where he had dropped it inside. Both had failed miserably. Peppy's fight ended before it started, Slippy taking him out with a quick blow to the head as soon as they entered the lounge.

"I really need to talk to Miyu about giving out untested military hardware to friends," said Pepper after she had finished.

"But in this case—"

"Yes, Fara, I realize that. But the upgraded blasters were not ready for a full rollout, and the boots were supposed to be a secret military design. Sometimes…"

He trailed off, prompting a brief question of concern from Fox. "Sir?"

"Nothing." He stood up and looked at the team. "I'm needed upstairs. I'll keep you informed as to what we've learned." His gaze shifted to the vulpine. "Do not for any reason leave this base, especially via Arwing. You are not to go jumping off on your own path of retribution. Do I make myself clear?"

Fox nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Without another word, he turned and walked out.

"Are we needed anymore?" asked Fox as he gestured towards the medics.

"No," replied Zhen as Devan ducked into the side office. "Fara, I'll need you to return in about four hours to see if that foot has healed up fully. I don't know what the General means about untested military hardware, but that boot saved your foot from being crushed."

She nodded as the hare came back into view, a crutch in one paw and a cane in the other. "Crutch or cane, Fara?"

"Crutch please."

"You sure? I might be able to dig up one of those wheeled walkers if you want one instead."

"Very funny," she said with a grin. Taking the crutch into her paws, she adjusted it to her height and stood up. "Shall we go?"

Fox walked over to her as he said, "Yeah. My room, guys. We need to talk." He paused only a moment as he watched Fara hobble off, before he asked, "Want some help?"

"No, I'll…" She trailed off as she looked into his eyes, eyes that were almost pleading her to accept. She smiled and nodded, knowing she couldn't turn him down. "Sure." 

The four pilots left the medical bay, the medics smiling behind their backs over the closeness of Fox and Fara.

* * *

"What's up, Fox?"

The vulpine looked among the remainder of his team, going through the questions he had in his mind. Short of Fara, everyone was on their feet, as if showing their impatience in being here. What they collectively knew was important to him, as Slippy's survival could very well count upon it. "Just a few questions actually, Falco."

"Hurry up then. I have things to do."

Fox's anger was quick to build. "What could you possibly…" He quieted with a sigh, realizing that getting upset wouldn't solve anything. He remembered that the avian's machismo wouldn't let him be concerned over such a simple matter. "I'm not going to finish that."

"Good." He crossed his arms and showed his displeasure in being where he was.

Fox quickly looked away, refusing to be goaded into starting another argument. Even though he deserved it as far as he was concerned. "Peppy, you sure the power plant is where we lost Slippy?"

The hare nodded as he leaned against the wall. "He was like himself up to the point where we got separated. Afterwards—"

"I know. Was the plant outside of the blast radius of the base?"

Peppy turned towards Falco and looked for his opinion. The avian noticed the attention and closed his eyes in thought. After a moment he nodded. "Yeah."

"Agreed," said Peppy. "It was on the edge of the city, so it should still be in one piece."

"So Slippy should be fine then."

"Assuming they haven't tortured the toad for information," said Falco. "Or beat him up, or—"

"Cool it," interrupted Fox.

"This is Andross we're talking about."

"Andross is dead."

"We can only assume," said Peppy. "We never saw him die."

"He's more than likely being held to set up another trap for us," suggested Fara as she lay on the vulpine's bed. "If that damned ape is still around."

"Yeah." Fox sighed, worried if his team would live through another of Andross' surprises. "Any guesses where that android sent off his messages?"

"Venom, obviously," replied Peppy. "The other is more than likely a backup hideout of sorts, or possibly some data collection point."

"I'm more interested in how Andross knows the codes to the satellite system in the first place," said Falco.

"We've guessed that he's known the access codes for some time," commented Fara. "Corneria has initiated code changes multiple times, but he must have somebody on the inside. Why build your own communication network when you can use the one that's included for free with the planets you've conquered?"

"I say we just head back to Venom and start shooting the damn place up. They'll release—"

"Don't you ever think?" snapped Peppy. "Not only could Slippy be in any of those buildings, but that just might be what it takes for Andross to kill him!"

"Well excuse me, oh high and mighty. It seems that you have the answers for—"

"That's enough!" roared Fox. He was sick and tired of all the arguing. The fact that not only was this war supposed to be over, but that they were now short a longtime friend wasn't helping matters any. "I know we're all upset right now—"

"No shit."

"—but fighting solves nothing." He sighed. "Just…keep in mind that we are going to get our teammate back. No matter what. As soon as Pepper has an idea where those signals went, we're leaving to find out what's there. Make sure you're prepared at all times."

"We'll find Slippy," said Fara. "Tell us where to go, and we'll follow."

"Yeah." And if Andross wasn't dead, he'd make sure he finished the job. No matter the cost. He wasn't going to worry them with that thought though. "You're all dismissed."

"Hold on," interrupted Falco. "Anybody want to tell me how the hell that ape gained the ability to make these androids in the first place?"

Fara looked like she was going to say something insulting, but after a quick glance at Fox's perturbed face, she quickly changed her mind and kept quiet. Instead, Peppy was the first to reply. "That's actually a good question. I know he was the head of the Academy, but I never paid too much attention to what he was doing as far as his research went."

"Pepper told me a few things about what that creep did as a scientist," said Fara finally. "And if I remember right, at the time we were in the process of developing advanced AI routines for explorative purposes. A fully AI run cruiser wouldn't need supplies or even environmental protection, so they'd be perfect for seeing what was out there."

"He just took what he'd learned and ran with it." Fox shook his head. "Just imagine the damage it would cause if he replaced Pepper, or the President, or…"

"Damn, that's a depressing thought," commented Falco. "Well, that's that. We done here?"

"Yes, you can all go. Peppy, hold on a minute."

"See ya, Fox," said Fara as she dropped to her feet.

"You going to be okay?"

She smiled as she turned around and leaned heavily into the crutch for support. As much as she'd like to keep accepting his help, she knew he had more important matters on his mind. "My room isn't that far, silly. I'll be fine."

Fox watched as the others left. As the door closed, he looked at the hare in concern. "A credit for your thoughts?"

Peppy kept his gaze away from the inquisitive vulpine as he responded. "You saw my expression earlier I take it."

"Yes I did, Peppy. Frankly, it worries me."

"Think that the consular will become the one who needs the consultation?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm just worried that this war has finally gotten to you. We always turn to you for advice. Who do you turn to?"

The hare closed his eyes after a moment. "Nobody."

"That's what I was afraid of. Am I right about you and the war?"

"Yes. Is this simply Andross' last hurrah, or are we going to have to look over our shoulders for the rest of our lives? Will we ever have a life of normalcy again? Or is this an example of what to expect?"

Fox looked at his mentor for so many years as he tried to figure out how to respond. Ultimately, he had nothing to say but restate the obvious. "That's a good question. It's also one none of us have an answer for. Personally, I think we'll have a good life. Will we have to keep watch over ourselves? Definitely. Will we be hunted every minute of our waking days? Highly doubtful."

"I'm in my late-thirties, Fox," he said as he drastically changed the subject. "I still remember the look on James' face when you were born. Am I just getting old? Am I not cut out for this anymore?"

This was something that the vulpine hadn't ever heard before, and it surprised him greatly. As far as he was concerned, Peppy wasn't old at all. With the average Cornerian citizen living until their late 80s, his teammate wasn't even halfway through his expected lifespan. "You're not old, Peppy," he said finally in an attempt to break the silence.

"No?" He turned his head and looked directly at Fox. There was either a hint of anger or confusion in his eyes as he continued. "What am I then?"

"You…hmmm… I know. You're tired."

"Tired?"

"Tired of the fighting. Tired of the conflict. Tired of the war. It was supposed to be over today, right?"

"That's right."

"And there's your problem. That's all our problems. Think about it, Peppy. How long have we been fighting?"

"Including our time on Papetoon?"

Fox nodded. "Yes."

"Months. At least half a year, and that's based on the Papetoon standard. They have longer days than Corneria does." He dropped his head in thought. "So, converting to local time here…"

The vulpine hid a smile. He had a feeling that the hare would get technical on him. "Peppy, I don't need the specifics."

He looked back up with a groan. "Oh."

"Anyway, in addition to that, we've traveled across the galaxy and slaughtered the population of a small moon. If you think about it too much, it would affect anybody. Hell, look at Fara. I know she's not taking this well."

"That's true."

Fox could see his teammate's demeanor improve as he continued to talk. "Hopefully this will be our last mission. After that, we're done. We've saved the universe. Odds are that we'll get to retire on whatever reward Pepper has in mind as well."

Peppy chuckled. "That's if the military can afford such an expected reward."

"They better. Falco will tear this place apart if he doesn't get one."

"True. Being known as the person who saved the entire system from a life of eternal slavery isn't good enough for him."

"Yup."

The hare pushed himself away from the wall and covered a yawn with one paw. "Thanks for the talk, Fox. I needed that."

Fox nodded. "Anytime. Anything else you want to get off your chest?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Good." As Peppy turned to leave, he quickly added, "Don't forget to take back your psychologist hat."

He stopped in mid-step. "Very funny," he said dryly.

"Yeah, I thought so too. See you later." 

"You too."

* * *

Fox was sound asleep when the door chime abruptly woke him up. He lay there curled up on top his bed and tried to figure out what the noise was that had brought him out of his slumber when it rang again. "It's open," he said as he twisted so he could see the newcomer.

Fara hobbled in with a smile on her face. "Did I wake you?" she asked as the door shut behind her.

"Yeah. But I needed to get up anyway." He rolled out of bed and hopped to his feet. "How's the foot?"

"Can't feel a thing at all. In medic terms, it's working as it should."

"Ah." He gestured towards his bed. "Want a seat? It's a bit lumpy, but it works."

She laughed. "Funny. Actually, I stopped by to ask if you wanted to take a walk with me."

A multitude of thoughts passed through his mind as he tried to figure out what exactly Fara meant by that line. He gave up after a few seconds and tried his best to hide his confusion. "Sure. What for?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

He shrugged. "Okay. Not like I have anything better to do." His curiosity piqued, he picked up his crumpled jacket from the carpeted floor and put it on. After a moment, he reached over and strapped on his blaster, something that he'd missed during his earlier encounter with Slippy. Not like it would've helped anyway. "Want some help to wherever we're going?"

She looked at Fox and tried to figure out why he seemed to be so protective of her today. Was it because of her newfound injury? Was there something else on his mind? Or was he just being cute? "No, I'm fine. Besides, I'm getting pretty good at whacking people with this thing if they don't get out of the way fast enough."

He laughed. He had a feeling that she was telling the truth as far as assaulting others went. "Lead on."

They slowly walked down the hallway and passed by a few others who were in a far more somber mood than they had been earlier. What had happened in the lounge clearly had gotten around to everyone based on their glances. Suddenly, Fara's voice broke into Fox's thoughts. "Thinking about the ground battle ahead?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the ground fighting we're gonna have to be in to save Slippy."

"Oh, that." He nodded. "Yeah, I have been. I figure we're either going to assault some base or board some kind of ship in the near future. Just trying to think of some plans."

"Ah." She paused upon noticing the look of concern on his face. "Hey, cheer up. Something tells me that you've been in quite a few fights in your time. And we make a pretty damn good team as well."

"Fara, you're not…" He quieted as he saw her expression turn sour. "What?"

"You know what. Don't even think about leaving me behind again."

He quickly tried to correct himself. "I wasn't—"

"Yes you were. I know to protect myself. Remember what I did to that android? I know you saw it."

The previous events flashed through his mind. It was something he wished he never saw, wished that Fara didn't have to go through it. "Yeah."

"Good. Look, it's nice of you to be so protective of me and stuff, but our line of work is anything but safe. We both know this."

"You're right, Fara. I'm just…worried. What…what if something happened to you? Or to any of us? I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"Aw, how cute. So you do care."

Fox stopped dead in his tracks, his heart fluttering over what she'd just said. "Huh?"

Fara quickly realized that she was alone. She looked over her shoulder at the vulpine and noticed him standing there. Turning around, she was able to read his expression – it was one of emotional turmoil. Her simple comment had shattered the barriers he'd erected so long ago, or so she thought based on the look of his face. She worked her way back over. "You heard me. You really do care about me."

"I…" Did she have the same feelings towards him? Could it be true? "Uh…"

"Shush." She put a finger across his lips, physically telling him the same thing. Fox's expression was one she'd seen before on other males whose attention she'd drawn. Somehow, this vulpine was different. This one looked to be attracted to her because of who she was, not because of her looks. Was she right though?

Only one way to find out.

She removed her finger and used it to caress the underside of his muzzle. "How long have you been hiding your feelings from me?"

Fox closed his eyes and smiled from the touch. He was oblivious to his surroundings short of the feeling of her fur against his. This was something he'd wanted ever since he first laid eyes upon her so long ago. He didn't care what the consequences of this act might bring right now. He looked upon her and grasped her paw in his. "Ever since I first saw your beautiful green eyes."

She smiled, now knowing her suspicions were accurate. He really did have a crush on her. Did she feel the same way? There was something…special about him, that much she knew. Something that others didn't have. Would he be the one though? That was still to be decided. "How romantic."

"Well, you're a…" He suddenly quieted, letting go of her paw and turning away. "I can't do this."

Fara stumbled and tried to stay upright after his hasty retreat. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I…I can't get involved during a war."

She could sense the barriers quickly reforming. "Why not?"

He turned back around and stared at the floor. "I just can't."

"Why?" she pleaded. There had to be a reason why he was hiding his feelings from her. There had to be. "Please?"

Should he tell her? What would she think of him if he did? "I…"

"Please?" She was on the verge of tears. The person who seemed so right to her was going back inside his protective shell. She had to find out why.

"What…what if something happened to you? What if you were captured, or worse? If we were…close, I couldn't be the calm leader that the team needs." He finally looked up into her eyes. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

So this was why he'd been hiding his feelings for so long. It was because of the war and his worries about what might happen to her. It explained why he was so protective of her as well. She stood there in shock, like she'd just seen a Nova Bomb explode for the first time. "I…I…"

"Think it's dumb?" His tone quickly turned hostile. "Moronic? Stupid?"

She stomped her good foot hard onto the carpeted floor. "No!" She sighed and tried to get her emotions back under control. "It's a very…touching reason."

He looked away again. "Oh."

What could she do? What could she say? She could tell that she was going to lose him again unless she did something immediately. She limped over and reached up to touch him. He flinched back at first, not wanting the attention. She persisted, and this time he allowed her fingers to brush through his headfur. "What if…the war was completely over? Or better yet, what if it had never started? What would be your thoughts then?"

Their eyes connected once more as she tugged his head her way. "I…uh…" What would he have done if this war never existed? Was he truly in love, or was it the fact that he wanted to be her protector, her guardian? He came to the conclusion that he had absolutely no idea. "I…don't know. I just don't know."

Fara felt her heart shatter. She somehow knew the vulpine was going to say that, but she had a shred of hope deep down that he wouldn't. He seemed to be such a nice and caring person, but if it was because he wanted to watch over her, or because he was in love, she simply didn't know. She looked down towards the floor and pulled her paw away, hoping her movement would hide the single tear that rolled through her fur. "Oh."

What had he done? He watched speechlessly as she turned and continued her trek towards the nearby elevator. He had to say something, but what? "Fara, I—"

"No," she interrupted softly. "Just…just remember this for later." She sniffed and gestured forward with her free paw. "Come on." 


	44. The Day Worsens

So, after the end of the last chapter, Fox and Fara are so close to one another, yet so far. Will they resolve their differences and get together by the end of the fic? That remains to be seen. Anyway, expect some questions to be answered in this chapter, and expect a few more to be asked.

Shadowshock - that's an interesting bit of advice to keep in mind while writing. And one that's ultimately so true in the end as well.

* * *

**Chapter 44: The Day Worsens**

_How…how could Fox possibly say that to me? How can he not know? Do I even truly love him? After what he said, I really don't know anymore…_ – Fara

_How could I be so stupid! Why did I say that to her! This was the first chance I've ever had to tell her how I feel, and I completely screw it up! Damn it…_ – Fox 

The trip down the elevator was one in silence, neither pilot wanting to think back to the recent conversation. After a few seconds, the doors opened and revealed the engineering bay. Fox moved to walk out, but Fara stopped him with a simple, "No."

He looked over, clearly confused as to why they weren't leaving. "Why—" 

She shook her head, smiling slightly in the process. She had to get over her unhappy mood, or else the scientists inside their destination would want to know why. And she didn't want to explain at all. She pushed a set of buttons on the panel nearby and caused the door to quietly close. At that point, she said into her headset, "Gals, we're here." 

Fox didn't have the slightest idea who she was talking to, or why they were sitting at the bottom floor of the elevator with the doors closed. He was worried that she'd finally flipped, especially after their little talk. "Fara, are you okay?"

She continued to stare at the wall where the hidden doors were, expecting them to open at any moment. "Okay, you two, open up. Fox is thinking I'm nuts over here."

He was about to say something as he moved towards the controls, but stopped in his tracks as the back of the elevator slid open. "Whoa," he said quietly as he looked in.

The lab had been surprisingly cleaned, at least compared to how it normally looked. To most, it was still a total mess. While papers and half-completed experiments still occupied most flat surfaces, one could actually find a few places that were uncovered. "Welcome to the mad scientist's lair," said Fara jokingly as she walked in and looked for the occupants. "Come on in."

Fox followed, his gaze wandering from item to item on the desk. He was taken back at first from what looked like total disarray, but upon further inspection, things actually were quite orderly. The unfinished experiments were sitting upon piles of notes for only that item, while another table held nothing but conceptual diagrams and drawings. "Nice place," he commented as the doors slid shut behind him.

"Normally it's much worse," she said. "I'm kinda…Fay!" She noticed the pair walk out from hiding and head their way. "Miyu! You little stinkers you, making it look like I'm crazy or something."

"Sorry, you caught us in back," said Fay.

"Yeah, right." She looked over at Fox as she continued. "Fox, this is—"

"I remember you," interrupted the vulpine as he looked towards Fay. "I came across you the day I arrived."

She laughed. "Good memory." Her tone turned serious as she walked up and took a good look at him. "You've changed since that day."

He couldn't wait to hear this. "Really? How so?"

"Before, you seemed almost happy to be here. Yet I could still see the warrior in you. Now…it looks like you've seen it all." She shuddered suddenly. "You've seen too much."

"Okay…" Something about what she said worried him greatly. He didn't know why though. He just wanted to change the subject. "So, anyway, this must be your partner then, correct?"

Miyu nodded. "Although Fay is my assistant, not the other way around. And contrary to what you might think, you're not here for a simple investigative look from her. Come with me, please."

As Fox walked off, Fara grabbed hold of Fay's arm and dragged her into a corner. She kept her voice down as she asked, "What the hell was that about?"

The canine looked nervous as she answered, avoiding eye contact the entire time. "Not now, Fara. Please. I…I'll tell you once he's left."

"You better."

Fox quickly found out the true reason for his visit – an upgrade to his and his team's weaponry. He was given three of the upgraded blasters like the one Fara had, all charged and ready for use. He spent a few minutes at the testing range at one end of the room, enjoying the firepower available at his command.

Afterwards, Miyu made modifications to Fox's helmet after much discussion of the benefits verses the risk of destroying an item worth so much in sentimental value to him. He was instantly impressed with the changes and spent a bit of time playing around with the options.

He also received a pair of handheld communicators, along with a quick comment about how to use them from the lynx. "While Pepper might try to give you something out of the security team's locker, use these instead. Your headset, as well as these communicators, has a range of roughly three miles in any locale and weather condition. They're still being tested though, like the blasters, but they'll work just fine for your next mission."

"Wait a second," said Fox, "how do you know what's next for us?"

"Word gets around very quickly in this base."

"And Fara tells us everything worth knowing," added in Fay with a grin.

"I do not!" exclaimed the vixen.

"Not now," said Miyu in an attempt to restore order. "Actually, Pepper informed us that your mission was more than likely going to be ground based. And he gave us free reign as far as equipping the team goes with whatever was still under construction."

"Thank you," said Fox. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd be forced to rely on Fara the entire time if we happened across more of those androids."

"May we never see one of those freaks again," commented Fara quietly.

"Agreed. Unless you…" He quieted and looked at the two scientists. "Did you two have anything to do with my escape earlier?"

They both smiled. "So pathetically easy," said Fay. "Last year's encryption codes and such."

Miyu nodded. "As you had to have noticed, nobody spends any time down on that level. You were actually the first person to be tossed into confinement like that in quite some time."

"Such an honor," joked Fox. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart nonetheless. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"You would've spent more time in what looks to be a very uncomfortable cell," said Fay.

"Sure looked like it. Anyway, is there anything else you think we might find useful?"

The pair thought for a moment, both of them shaking their heads thereafter. "We'll let you know if we do think of something though," said Miyu.

"Okay then. Thanks again." He turned towards the exit. "Fara, you coming?"

"Na. I'm gonna talk with them for a bit actually. Keep me informed as to what you learn from Pepper whenever he contacts you."

"I will." He walked towards the door and came to a halt once he realized that he had no idea how to open it. "Anyone care to tell me how to get out of here?"

"I got it," said Miyu as she moved over to him.

Fara stood in silence as she watched Fox leave. As elevator closed behind him, she turned towards Fay, who was currently sitting with her head buried in her paws. Still concerned over what she'd said earlier, and worried about her condition now, she found a nearby seat and dropped into it. Trying to find a comfortable spot to place her injured leg, she asked, "Fay, what's wrong?"

The canine just shook her head, too upset to say anything. Noticing her distress, Miyu approached and looked at her associate with worry. She had a good guess at what happened, and began to share the same unease that Fara had. Just for entirely different reasons. "Fay, I've told you before that you need to simply look away when you get those visions of yours."

Fay groaned as she removed her paws. From the wet and matted look of her fur, it was quite clear that she'd been crying. She wiped her eyes as she said quietly, "And I told you it doesn't work that way."

"Visions?" This came as a surprise to Fara, even though she'd known the pair ever since she started test piloting the Arwings. "What visions?"

"Remember the time not too long after we first met?" asked Fay.

"Yeah."

"Do you still remember what I told you?"

Fara closed her eyes and thought back to the day in question. It was her third day of actual flight testing of the Arwings, and it had been a fur-raising experience. Nothing wanted to work like it should. She'd visited the botanical gardens with the intention to relax for the afternoon, when Fay came up to her. What was it she said… "You have a long and challenging road ahead of you, but your continued efforts will save millions."

"Sounds about right. Wasn't there more though?"

"Yeah. Let's see…" She continued thinking as she knew there was something else. It was such a weird line as well. "Don't let the weight of the universe get you down. You will survive to see not only the light at the end, but many, many more beyond that." She smiled. "To say it was a strange way to make your acquaintance is an understatement."

Miyu snorted. "That wasn't her first, nor last, time she's greeted somebody that way."

"Well excuse me, Miyu," snapped Fay. "I have no control when or if I'm going to have these visions."

Fara jumped in before the pair could start another verbal fight. "But…what are these visions? What do you mean by that?"

The canine looked over to Fara with a sigh. "Sometimes…I can just look at people and see things. You know how some people can supposedly sense emotions, or see things that others can't?" 

"Yeah, actually. I knew a friend by the name of Aimee back at the academy." 

"What could she sense?" 

"She saw these…halos around people. She said she could gather quite a bit of information from somebody with them as well. Made for a fun conversation piece." 

Fay nodded. "I've heard of that before. An interesting ability." She closed her eyes and looked away, almost as if in embarrassment. "I wish I had that instead of what…I can see." 

"What are you talking about?" How she kept avoiding the initial issue was starting to greatly worry Fara. 

"What did you see?" asked Miyu gently. "We can't change what you saw, so you might as well tell us." 

The canine rubbed away the tears that were already forming and then spent half a minute trying to recompose herself so she could talk again. "I…I saw…"

"What?"

"I…I saw Fox McCloud's death!"

The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the sobbing from Fay.

Fara looked wide-eyed between the pair, her breath coming in short gasps. While Fay sat crying, Miyu looked to be the most devastated. She had a glazed look on her eyes, as if she truly believed her assistant. She stumbled into a chair after a few moments and tried to come to grips over what she'd just heard. 

Fara was stunned. She couldn't have heard what she just did. There wasn't any way it could be true. How could Fay truly mean what she said? Fox wasn't going to die. Not now. Not anytime soon. There was no way she'd lose him like that. "Fox is not going to die!" she exclaimed as she tried to hold back her own tears. "No way!" 

"I saw—"

"I don't give a damn what the hell you saw! Fox is not going to die!"

Many moments of awkward silence passed afterwards, nobody wanting to say or explain anything. Fara was infuriated, as she knew there was something more that she wasn't being told. Eventually Miyu came out of her grief and looked towards her. "Can I…explain something, Fara?"

"As long as it has nothing to do with that vision crap, yes."

The lynx sighed. "It does, but…you need to know."

Fara crossed her arms in disgust. She had half a mind to simply get up and leave. But she trusted these two. They wouldn't act like this unless they had a very good reason. "Fine."

"Okay, as you already know, Fay has these visions that tend to provide a…insight into one's future."

"Or people's deaths."

Fay gasped at the accusation but remained quiet. She continued to hold her head in her paws as Miyu resumed. "They tend to be positive, or just simply cryptic. Yours for example."

"She tells you all of them?"

She nodded. "They don't happen all that often. In fact, since we've known you, she's only had three. Four counting today."

"One of those being mine."

"Yes. Most of what I've heard are simply prior visions, before we all ended up working here at the base. Interesting to hear actually."

"And how many deaths?"

"Fara, why—"

"I got this," interrupted Fay as she wiped the last of her tears away. "Maybe…if she hears it from me, she might believe it."

Fara glared at the canine. "The only reason I'm still sitting here right now is because you two haven't turned me wrong. Yet. I don't care what you think you saw – Fox is not going to die."

Fay looked away, unable to meet Fara's stare. It was bluntly clear that she did care for Fox, and this whole thing was simply her unable to believe what she'd been told. She didn't blame her either. She'd probably be doing the exact same thing right now. "Fara, I've seen in my…visions, people dying, passing on. It freaked me out the first time I saw it. It still does."

"Uh huh."

"Damn it, Fara!" How could she get her to believe what she was saying? How could… "I saw my own grandmother's death!"

Fara quieted instantly.

"I was nineteen then. She'd paid my family a visit for dinner one night. As we were getting ready to eat, I had this extremely vivid image of her in a coffin. The rest of the family was hovering over her in mourning. I…I ran from the table, screaming in fear. She…died, of a heart attack, two days later."

Fara's mouth dropped open in shock, but this time around, she stayed silent.

Fay stared at the floor as she continued. "Almost three years later, I had a vision of one of my best friend's parents dying. I'd almost forgotten about my grandmother by then. I hoped it wasn't going to happen again. I…was wrong. Both parents died in a terrible car accident that night."

"You don't have to continue, Fay," said Miyu, knowing what the canine was going to say next.

She shook her head, still looking at the floor in dismay. "I have to."

"Your choice."

"I know." Fay sadly lifted her head up, her eyes watering. "Fara, you remember the shuttle accident about a…year and a half ago, right? The one here in Corneria?"

She nodded, slowly closing her jaws so she could talk again. "The, uh, out of control shuttle that crashed into the heart of the downtown district, right? Killed…twelve, I think, and injured three times that many."

"That's the one. My visions…taunted me with that. I saw the whole accident. I saw how the lightning strike sent the craft completely out of control. I saw it plummet into the people… I saw it all. I tried to figure out which shuttle it was… Oh, how I tried… Three days passed before I saw it live on the evening news. It…happened, just how I saw it."

"Wow." Fara sat there stunned in an attempt to find the right words to say. Was Fay telling the truth? Were these visions real? Why would she lie to her? "I'm…sorry, Fay."

"I am too."

She tilted her head to one side in thought. "You know, now that I think about it, your original vision to me was rather accurate. It didn't make any sense at the time, but in the end, it came true."

"Yup. I have a bunch of friends, coworkers, and family members who've all said the same thing." A grin threatened to appear on her face, one that quickly turned back into a frown. "They all think I'm weird. Or worse."

"Yeah. In a way, we all are." Fara sighed, giving into the question that had been floating in the back of her mind the entire time. "So…how do you…see…?"

The seconds passed without Fay answering. Fara was going to ask again when she finally answered. "That's…the odd part. Unlike the others, I…well, saw nothing specific. Except…this whole vision was different."

Fara couldn't believe she was actually starting to accept what Fay was saying. If there was a way to stop this though, she simply had to know more. "How so?"

"I…didn't see a single defining moment. Instead, I saw a series of quick cuts, like a movie. Each…showing his demise." She sighed and dropped her head in sadness once more.

"What did you see?" She noticed the continued silence from Fay and pressed forward with her questioning. She had to know the answer. "Maybe the multiple visions are a good thing somehow. I might be able to stop it from happening."

Fay shook her head and spoke towards the floor. "You…can't. I've tried before, remember?"

"Damn it, Fay!" Fara jumped to her feet and wobbled unsteadily on her injured foot. "I don't give a damn what you think or what you've tried! If your all-so-powerful visions insist that Fox is going to die, then tell me how so I can stop it!"

Miyu stood up over the vixen's tone. "Fara, please—"

"Shut the hell up!" Her head snapped back over to Fay as she continued. "If something happens to Fox because you remain quiet, so help me I'll—"

"Enough!" While tears rolled through the white fur of Fay's face, her eyes showed a completely different emotion – anger. "You want to be that way about it? Fine! Sit your ass down and I'll tell you!" Seeing Fara comply, she added under her breath, "Not like there's anything you can do about it." 

"We'll see about that."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere very far away, a constant throbbing of pain slowly brought Slippy back to consciousness. He laid there, hearing and feeling little short of the dull beat of pain on the back of his head, keeping in time with his heartbeat. Not sure what brought on the aching, he tried to remember what had happened to him previously.

His thoughts went in and out of focus, as if his mind was fighting his control because of the injury. With much effort, he finally remembered what his last wakeful moment was.

He was running through the power plant, slowly losing ground thanks to the hare's much longer stride, when suddenly the strangest thing he'd ever seen stepped out from the darkness not too far ahead. He saw a perfect duplicate of himself.

He'd skidded to a halt and pulled out his blaster. He pointed it shakily at his clone and was just about to yell out for Peppy when his other self charged. 

He never had a chance.

His clone was on him immediately. The resulting melee that occurred was over in an instant with a swift, single blow to the back of his head. He never even fired a shot.

But where was he now?

With his mind clearing, Slippy tried to figure out where he was based on his senses. He continued to keep his eyes closed and his movements still, incase he was captured and under observation.

He could feel a slight vibration coming from the cold, hard surface he was currently upon. His nostrils picked up the slight tang in the surrounding air, possibly from a recycled air source. It was silent around him though, short of a low pitched rumbling coming from within the floor. They all added up to the distinct possibility that he was on a ship of some sort.

But where was he headed? And who was he with?

A feeling of something wrapped around his wrists and ankles quickly proved that he wasn't in friendly territory anymore. He gently tugged at his restraints, but found that they wouldn't give at all. Maybe if he tried harder, or opened his eyes to look around, he could find some way to get free.

Before he could consider his next move, he heard footsteps approaching from somewhere nearby. He ceased his movements and kept perfectly still in the hope that he hadn't been noticed.

But he had.

A swift kick to his stomach sent him rolling away. His progress stopped moments later as his back slammed with a wall. Slippy gasped in pain, his eyes shooting open in an attempt to find some way to defend himself from any additional blows. What he saw didn't encourage him in the slightest.

Just a few feet away stood one of Andross' lizards. The heavily-muscled creature took one look at him and grinned, saying in a slithery voice, "It seems our little captive has finally woken up."

"Excellent."

Slippy's eyes quickly darted over to the lone exit from the room and took in as much information as he could. He looked to be in a tiny, barren room of some sort, the walls covered in gray steel. Through the doorway, he could see what looked to be a set of control panels, and above that was a view into outer space. He knew for sure he was in a ship of some sorts at that point.

However, the question of where he was going wasn't anywhere near as important as the owner of the second voice. At that moment, Andross himself walked into the room. A pair of lizard guards flanked him with their weapons drawn and pointed at the toad, even though he was in no condition to provide any threat towards the dictator. He dominated the room with his presence as he said, "About time you decided to regain consciousness."

The toad suddenly felt afraid. Very afraid. "Why?" he croaked.

Andross grinned. It was a grin that showed power and domination. It showed that he was still in total control, no matter what might have happened to him on Venom. "Because, you, my little toad, are absolutely loaded with information. Information I want." He gestured to the guards on either of side of him. "Hold him down."

The lizards moved forward, one grabbing him by the shoulders, the other by the legs. Slippy bucked and struggled to get free, but between their strength and the bindings around his limbs, his attempts were utterly futile. His last image was of the ape towering over him with a smile. 

Then his vision simply dissolved as Andross' telepathic powers burrowed into his mind. 


	45. The Plan

Yes, RedBay, Fay's visions are a bit strange. But are they based upon the near future, or far later in Fox's life? As I say way too often - you'll have to keep reading to find out.

Anyway, now to find out the Starfox team's final mission will be. It may not look like it some days, but this fic is finally starting to come to an end. Oh, and thanks for the 100+ reviews! Never thought I'd reach that point when I started this.

* * *

**Chapter 45: The Plan**

_I may have trusted whatever Fay said in the past, but these visions of hers simply can't be true. But…if they are…I'm ready to stop them. I'll make sure of that._ – Fara

_Such a strange look that canine gave me earlier. And what she said was freaky as well. I wonder if it meant anything._ – Fox 

"I hope you slept well, Starfox team."

"Not a bit, sir."

It was currently a few minutes after 7am, and it took only a single glance among the assembled team to see that Fox's words rang true. While it was mostly to blame because of their worry about Slippy, some had their own issues haunting their consciousness.

Pepper looked among the pilots, worried about their condition. By his eyes, the team was in no state to wage any further battles. However, he also promised Fox that he'd be told as soon as he found out any information. He didn't want to keep anything hidden. Not now that they've won. "As far as I'm concerned, you should all be back in bed. But, I have the information from yesterday."

"Good to hear," said Fox. As tired as he was, he had no intention on waiting at all to rescue his teammate. He'd sleep in his Arwing if he had to. "Where?"

"The signal in question was sent to two different locations as originally assumed. The first was sent to Venom, aimed at the remains of Andross' base."

"Which would be a waste of time to search through again."

"That's correct. We have transports moving in to make sure there's nothing left of the main base, covered with whatever military ships we could scrounge up to send over, just to make sure." Pepper sighed. "Actually, I wish it was there, as the location of the second transmission is far from a cakewalk."

"Fortuna," said Fara suddenly.

"Yes, the planet—" His head snapped over to the pilot in surprise. "How did you know that? Were you—"

"No, no," she interrupted as she brought her paws up to get him to stop. "It's just a…guess, based on where the team has and has not gone. They never visited Fortuna."

Pepper seemed to accept that answer as he brought his gaze back to the team in general. "A good point, Fara. And for a good reason – Fortuna, also known as Dinosaur Planet by the original explorers to that world, is deemed off-limits to the citizens of the system."

"Dinosaur Planet?" asked Falco. "What, is the place guarded by some giant reptilian freaks?"

The canine shook his head as he looked for his remote for the monitor behind him, giving Peppy time to say what he knew. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Fortuna was blocked off due to a descendant of the lizard race on Venom being found there. Same reason why we never colonized Venom either – both were already occupied planets."

"You are correct," said Pepper as he found what he was looking for. The monitor quickly powered up and displayed the planet from one of the probes in the system. "As already said, Fortuna is inhabited by natives of the planet in a pre-technological era. At last check more than five years ago, the lizard species there hardly had mastery of fire."

"Not a threat to us at all then," said Falco.

"A sharpened spear hurts just as much as a blaster," commented Peppy. "If not more so."

"And I take it the natives were less than friendly?" asked Fox.

"Very much so," replied Pepper as the image behind him changed. It now showed what looked to be two warring clans from far above, easily differentiated due to their different skin tone and animal skins, battling amongst themselves. "This shot was taken not too long after the explorers left. We don't even know if they have a language that we can communicate by."

"Any other threats on the planet?" asked Fara.

"Plenty." The image changed again and highlighted some of the species found while on the world. "The lizards, while the dominant species on that world, are far from the only hostiles. The location you'll be headed towards is best described as a swamp environment. Snakes, alligators, piranhas, and more. Basically like our own native wetlands here on Corneria."

"Just where I wanted to take my vacation," said Falco sarcastically.

Fox smiled over his teammate's comments as he asked, "What's the planetary conditions in general?"

"Fortuna's atmosphere is a bit richer in oxygen content compared to Corneria. The medics say that there will be no ill effects, short of being able to push yourself a bit further than usual. Gravity is .92 of Cornerian standard as well, so watch yourselves until you get used to it."

"Noted. Where exactly are we going on the planet?"

Pepper pushed buttons until one revealed a distant overhead shot of some kind of metal covering. A small transport sat outside the building, both a harsh contrast to the oversized foliage nearby. "This is where the signal terminated. This shot in question was taken from one of our satellites in space about a half hour ago."

"Any defenses?"

"Unknown. Our only satellite in the area is giving us fits right now – most attempted shots taken at any level of detail are coming out greatly unfocused. We were lucky to get what few we have of the compound and the general area as it is."

"Understood." Fox looked around at his team. Despite their visible tiredness, it was clear they were ready to go. "What's the plan?"

He shook his head. "There isn't one, Junior. I'm leaving that entirely up to you. You want a transport or three for a direct military assault of that base? I can give it to you. Want to use the Arwings to attack the place directly? Granted. For all you've done, if it's within reason, I can authorize it."

Fox was afraid he'd hear that. However, he wanted full control of the operation anyway. "Team, what's our options?"

"I'd say go in guns blazing, but…" Falco shrugged. "We have no clue where Slippy is."

The team looked over in surprise. "I think that's the first sensible thing I've heard you say before," said Peppy with a smile.

"Rot in hell."

"No thanks." As the others quietly laughed amongst themselves, the hare debated on the best course of action. "Believe it or not, following Falco's general train of thought might not be that bad of an idea. We land with enough of a force to take whatever is inside that bunker by storm, as we simply have no idea what to expect. I think it would be safest on all sides."

If Fox was at all surprised by his friend's course of action, he didn't react at all. In reality he was, as he expected a calm and stealthy approach out of him. He turned over to Fara and was about to ask for her thoughts when she stopped him with a glance of her own. "I'm thinking."

"Okay. Just checking."

Fara remained quiet as she thought through the possibilities. Fay's visions intruded upon her thoughts and made constant reminders as to what might happen to Fox in the future. But were her visions from the upcoming days or from the distant future? Some of the things she was told were vague and might not have to do with Fortuna. Or were they all based on this forsaken planet? "Pepper, how much terrain around the base do you have mapped?"

The General seemed surprised to hear the question, as if he was deep within his own thoughts. "About a 10 to 15 mile radius, depending on detail level. Why?"

Fara pushed the last of Fay's warnings out of her mind as she told everyone her opinion. "Personally, I think we should make a nightfall landing about five miles or so outside the base. We'll walk the rest of the way there. We need a stealthy approach to this mission. Otherwise, we risk something happening to Slippy."

Fox sat back quietly in his chair and thought through the options presented to him. As much as he liked hearing everyone's choices in the past, he hated trying to pick one of them. He rarely came up with one of his own in these circumstances, as normally someone, if not multiple people, already agreed with his own thoughts. This time around though, they all made sense. And that worried him.

"Fara," he finally said, "your plan is the one I agree the most with. Although tromping around on a hostile planet in the middle of the night is something I do not want to be involved in. It would be a stealthier approach, yes, but nightfall is only safe for those doing the invading if you happen to know the terrain."

"That's an understatement," muttered Falco as he thought of days long past on Papetoon.

"It's not my fault we forgot the map."

"Oh, sure, just blame it on me like you always did."

Peppy smiled and kept out of the argument as Fara asked, "Do I even want to know?"

"No," was their simultaneous reply.

"Okay then."

"Anyway," said Fox as he tried to regain some control over this conversation, "we need a good landing site for the Arwings about five miles away. We'll foot it the rest of the way there. Pepper?"

The canine began flipping though the data he had as he asked, "What kind of military assistance are you looking for in this operation?"

Fox already had the answer to that question. "None. Just the four of us."

"What about Slippy?" asked Falco suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I mean, when we get him out of there. He probably won't be able to travel, and there's no way in hell I'm carrying him all the way back."

"I can answer that," said Fara. "The Arwings have a remote guidance system installed in them. In short, there's a device that can be used to call them to the user's location, or a location nearby. It can only be used once though for obvious security reasons."

"What's the range?" asked Fox.

"About eight to ten miles, depending on planetary conditions. I tested it out in the forests nearby, and that's as far as the signal got out. One device can be used to summon all four Arwings as well."

"Sounds like we have our escape route then."

"And I've found your landing site," said Pepper.

"Let's hear it."

The monitor changed to display an overall view of the general area, the base occupying the right hand side of the screen, a marked clearing on the lower left. "This is the closest spot I could find, short of the base itself. It's about five miles distant, and it looks to be a relatively easy overland journey."

"Easy my ass knowing our luck," commented Falco.

Peppy ignored his teammate's usual sarcastic remarks as he asked, "General, what's this blue line crossing our path? I'm guessing that's water, but this image is anything but clear."

The canine nodded as he pointed out the location on the display. "You're correct. You'll cross over a small stream about a mile out. That's your only physical obstacle short of traveling through the jungle environment."

"Where does the stream lead?" asked Fara suddenly.

"Lead?" Pepper wasn't ready for the question as he had to adjust what was on the screen to answer it. "Let's see…here we go. Looks like the stream empties out into a mangrove swamp a couple miles away from your goal. Doesn't look like a good way to make your approach."

"Unless you enjoy stumbling around in the mud," added the avian.

"No, you idiot," snapped Fara. "It was just a question."

"Cut it out you two," said Fox. He could tell that they needed to leave as this meeting was going on for far longer than anyone expected. "Pepper, if we could have copies of this map, we'd appreciate it."

"Already done," he replied as he reached underneath the desk to one side. "As I said before, the satellite above is not working all that well, so pardon the visual quality of this data."

"Noted." Fox took the four copies and passed them to his team. "Anything else we need to know?"

"Nothing other than the obvious, Junior. Don't forget to take the emergency supplies that are in the Arwing already. Engineering has added a few things to that as well, so it's more vital than before." He quieted for a moment before adding one more thing. "Did Fara take you to see Miyu yet?"

Fox frowned as he thought back to his experience with Fay back in the lab. "Yes, she did. I'll be passing it out before we launch."

"Good. Any further questions?"

Falco looked like he was going to say something about Fox keeping stuff from him, but he kept quiet as Peppy asked, "I have a rather obvious one – do we have anything that can easily detect any other android clones that this base might have in store for us? And for that matter, do we have a way to defend ourselves against them short of relying on Fara's blaster?"

"No and yes," replied Pepper. "We don't have a portable way to detect any nearby androids. The only reason the medical bay was able to tell the difference is thanks to the computing power of their systems. Nothing you can carry with you though. And Fox already has the answer to your second question."

"I planned on making a daylight landing," said Fox, ignoring what Pepper said for now. "If we leave now, what time would it be there once we arrived?"

Pepper looked over at his own personal screen and read the data it contained. "Based on this, if you leave right now, you'll have roughly five Cornerian hours of light left once you land. Days and nights there are shorter than the Cornerian standard."

"Which will give us the option of making our final assault at night if we want." Fox closed his eyes and thought through anything else that could possibly come up while they were on the ground. Fara beat him to the punch though over what he was going to ask next.

"What happens if we, well, fail?"

"I already have that possibility planned, Fara," replied Pepper. "We'll keep watch from here on the Arwings. If they haven't left after a certain length of time…"

"One full Cornerian day," said Fox as he noticed the pause in the canine's answer.

"We'll come get you after that. That, I promise."

"Thank goodness for little favors," grumbled Falco. 

Fox stood up and looked over his team. Would they find Slippy safe and sound? Would they all get out of this adventure alive? He had no answers to these questions. Worries began to mount in the back of his mind over their chances of survival. No matter what though, they would get back. He was going to make sure of that. "Okay, crew, let's go. We have a friend to save."

* * *

After spending a few minutes with Falco and Peppy, showing them how to use the upgraded blasters and headsets, they were off to engineering. Fara rejoined them on the trip down the elevator, having wandered off to her room for something as she already knew what Fox was talking about.

The staff downstairs quickly went over what additional supplies were in their emergency kits. Little was added, short of the remotes to summon the Arwings and additional food and water, but the knowledge of everything that was included in such a small space was reassuring to the pilots.

"We have everything?" asked Fox as he closed up his kit. Based on his experience on Papetoon, it looked like everything he'd need for a few days was there, but he wanted to make sure.

"Three days worth of the essentials," said Peppy as he looked through the supplies.

"Ready to eat meals," added Falco as he grimaced at the food. "Yummy."

Fox huffed. "We almost lived on these things on Papetoon you know."

"Yeah, yeah. It's why I never want to eat one again."

"You can always forage," suggested Fara with a grin. "We won't stop you."

"Har har."

Shaking his head at the attempt of humor, Fox climbed up his Arwing and deposited his bag inside. He paused only a moment before dropping to the ground below. The rest of his team watched, as if they expected him to say something. He didn't disappoint in that regard. "Team, I want to let you know that I'm not forcing any of you to—"

"Shut up, Fox," interrupted Fara. She was as tired of hearing the vulpine being so protective as she was of telling him to can it. "We're going even if you don't want us to come."

"Nobody takes our teammate and gets away with it," said Falco as he nodded in appreciation over Fara's interruption. At least he didn't have to do it himself for once. "Even if it is the ever annoying Slippy."

Fox rolled his eyes as he wished that his team wasn't so blunt some days. Noticing Peppy's silence, he asked, "No comments from you, old friend?"

"They said everything I wanted to say," he replied with a smile.

"Can we cut with the crap and head out?" asked Falco as he gestured towards the Arwings. 

Wasting no further time, Fox turned and climbed aboard his craft once more. The team quickly followed, all eager to see their current crisis solved.

* * *

"Fara, you have a minute?"

Fox was sitting back in the confines of his Arwing, looking out among the stars as they slowly moved by in the distance. Despite his best efforts otherwise, he had been unable to get any rest, an order he had passed to the rest of his team just after they launched. Fara's strange questions and the way she somehow knew of their destination ahead of time continued to worry him, preventing any sleep on his part. He just hoped she was still awake. "Fara?"

She sounded ticked off as she quietly mumbled, "What, Fox?"

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

Her tone softened over his apparent concern. "No, you didn't. What's up?"

"You seemed…I don't know, like you knew something back at the meeting. Anything you want to tell me about our upcoming destination?"

Fara stayed quiet as she considered her options. Should she tell him what she knew? Would the knowledge of what Fay had told her affect them coming true? Was she worrying about nothing? She sighed softly as she simply had no idea. "There's nothing I know about Fortuna short of what we already know."

The delay in her response made Fox wonder if she had something to hide. But why would she hide anything from him? "What about how you knew where we were going?"

"As I told Pepper, it was just a guess. It's just our luck that Andross had a secondary base built on the only planet we didn't visit."

"Andross is dead."

"Well, duh." He had better be anyway, she thought. The last thing she wanted was for somebody to dig through her mind once again. "I was there with you, remember?"

"Yeah."

Fara took one last look at the stars and closed her eyes with a sigh. As much as she'd like to chat with Fox, she desperately needed the rest that he suggested earlier. So did he as far as she was concerned. "Fox, is there a point to this? I'm tired."

His intuition told him that there was something wrong, something she was keeping from him. He just didn't know what. Or why. Or was he just being paranoid about their next goal for some reason? "No, not really. Sorry for bugging you."

"No problem. Wake me up when we get to Fortuna, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will."

"All right. Fara, out."

Left with little else to do, Fox glanced at his chronometer. Noticing the indicator, he hoped that they didn't get into a battle at their destination. They had a little over a two hour flight, and the Arwings only held enough fuel and supplies for about five hours of flying time. More if they used the FTL fuel.

Pushing the thoughts of the mission ahead out of his mind best he could, he closed his eyes and attempted to get some rest.


	46. Fortuna

And once again we get to yet another long chapter. I couldn't exactly find a way to split them apart, so in the end you just get a lot more reading. Towards the end, you'll notice I've changed my formatting around slightly - instead of the global 3rd person view I've been using, I'm going to switch to a single person 3rd person view. I've realized that with my upcoming chapters, it'll make things a lot easier.

That and I should've been writing this way since I started this fic. Oh well.

Celestrio - pretty much the only part I took from the comics in the last chapter was how the team is flying off to Fortuna for their final destination. I needed a planet to throw them on, and this one worked well for the reasons given. And no, you don't talk/write too much. I do.

* * *

**Chapter 46: Fortuna**

_There's nothing I hate more than assaulting a base with insufficient information as far as their defenses go. Or in this instance, an entire planet._ – Fox

_Some days I'm glad that I don't lead the team. The thoughts and worries that must go through Fox's mind have to be tremendous._ – Peppy

_Nobody steals one of my teammates and gets away with it. Even that annoying toad. And if I have to kick some prehistoric lizard ass to get him back, so much the better._ – Falco

_I'm scared. I'm really scared. I really don't want Fox here. If something happens to him, I don't know what I'll do._ – Fara 

A loud and grating buzz snapped Fox out of his restful sleep. The straps that held him into his pilot seat dug into his fur as he jerked forward from the noise. Wincing in pain, he sank back to his seat and quickly noticed the green planet that occupied a good chunk of his forward view.

Reaching forward, he acknowledged the alarm and ended the assault upon his ears. As he did so, the last wisps of the dream he'd been having vanished from his mind. He tried to remember what it was, as he knew it was about Fara, but it was like trying to grab smoke – an impossible task.

Sighing, he brought his attention back to the present. A flashing timer informed him that the Arwings were just a few minutes away from their destination. Flicking on the binocular setting on his headset, he began to look over the planet as he said, "Rise and shine, Starfox team. Everybody awake in there?"

"Yeah."

"Wide awake, Fox."

"No."

Fox laughed at Falco's response. "No?"

"No. I'm at home right now, dreaming this all up. There's no way I'm back in an Arwing this soon after saving the galaxy."

A touch of a button brought Fox's vision back to normal. He glanced over to where Falco was as he said, "I'd agree with you there, but we are most definitely flying right now."

"Do you want me to shoot him, Fox?" asked Fara jokingly.

"Fara, no," he replied. "You're not helping."

"I guess I am awake," said Falco suddenly. "I'd recognize that cynical voice anywhere."

"Funny."

"I try."

Fox shook his head in silence over the bickering between the two pilots. The last thing he wanted to deal with was Fara and Falco constantly breathing down each others' neck, like Falco did with Slippy in times past. Especially now. "Look, you two, let's keep things civil, okay? I don't want to deal with this."

"Fine."

"Whatever."

That wasn't a satisfactory response from either one of them as far as he was concerned, but he didn't have the time to think about it as his craft slightly lurched as the retros fired up. As the autopilot shut of, his computer screen changed to what looked like Pepper's recommended approach vector, one that would minimize the chance of somebody spotting them. "I take it that you all see the information on your monitors?"

Affirmatives reached his ears from the rest of the team. "Good. Brace yourselves, as it's a steep descent." 

Boosters glowing brightly behind them, the four Arwings shot towards the surface of Fortuna.

* * *

"I think that'll do it."

Fox stepped back and admired his handiwork. His Arwing lay partially covered by palm fronds and other available flora, blending it in somewhat with the environment. It wouldn't hold up with a close inspection, but from a distance it shouldn't be noticed. He looked around and took note of how his teammates were doing.

The sudden sound of a snapping tree limb swiftly brought his attention elsewhere. A sizeable branch dropped to the grassy floor as he turned around, sending leaves and other debris flying. "Fara!" he yelled as he tried to spot her among the tree.

The vixen held on for dear life far above, having only just grabbed the branch above her as the one she'd been standing on broke off. Refusing to look down, she made sure of her hold before going paw-over-paw towards the center of the tree. Upon reaching her goal, she dug her feet into the grooves on the trunk and used it to support her weight. Only then did she try to calm her racing heart as she yelled down a response. "I'm fine!"

"Maybe you should come down!"

Fara shook her head as she looked for a way to continue upwards. Climbing trees was something she'd been doing since she was a kit, and no simple mishap like this was going to deter her. Before making her move, she flicked on her headset, preferring not to continue screaming to hold a conversation. "I'm almost to the top, Fox. You wanted a survey as well as the branches to cover the Arwings, right?"

"Yeah. But not at the cost of your life. We're finished with the Arwings by the way."

"Good." Her paws dug into the rough wood as she crawled up the tree. "I really don't want to cut anything down from up here anyway."

"Just be careful."

"You don't need to remind me." The area around her slowly lightened as she continued upwards. To her this was a good sign, as it meant that she was breaking through the top layer of the jungle around her. Noticing a branch nearby, she gave it a few good tugs to ensure it would hold before grabbing on to it, allowing her to look around.

She smiled as she saw the afternoon sky, the sun beating down its warmth to those who were able to find it through the treetops. From her vantage point, she could see for miles in every direction. This is why she loved to climb trees, and why she loved being a pilot – the amazing vistas once one got high enough into the sky. "I'm through."

"Good. See anything?"

"Give me a minute," she replied breathlessly, still stunned by her surroundings. She finally ripped her eyes away from the view and dug into her shirt with one paw, pulling out a compass and watch combo which hung by her neck. Finding their intended travel direction, she scouted best she could for the base, but could see little short of trees. She couldn't even find the stream they intended to cross. "I see nothing but trees where we're going. I can't spot the base either."

"Any signs of civilization?"

She brought her gaze around, starting eastward. She scrunched her eyes in confusion, wondering why the average tree level dropped suddenly not too far east of their position. Looking further, she saw the trees themselves change to another type, signifying the swamp in her mind. She continued, reporting what she'd seen so far. "The trees seem to get shorter for some reason not too far east of here. Can't explain why."

"Strange. Keep going."

Fara grabbed hold of the trunk itself again as she continued looking, peering around the wood on both sides. "I see smoke rising into the sky to the southwest. Looks too small and organized to be a forest fire."

She heard Fox's gasp of shock clearly over her headset. "How far?"

"About ten to fifteen miles, give or take. I see another…whoa!" Her right foot slipped, the tiny crack in the tree she'd wedged it into breaking apart from her weight.

"Fara!"

"I…I'm fine." She held on with her paws as she searched for another foothold, her compass bouncing against her chest from the sudden movement. Her wandering foot finally connected with a small outcropping after a few seconds, relieving her of the strain of grabbing onto the tree. She continued with her report, knowing that she needed to come down before she had any further incidents. "I see another column of smoke to the northwest, a bit farther away than the other."

"Okay. Come on down, Fara."

"One second." She looked north and spotted nothing, and then looked over to where she started. Finding nothing further, she began searching for the best route down. "Nothing else I can see. Coming down."

"Good."

Fara smiled over the concern he was giving her. Then again, she couldn't blame him. She was quite far up. Despite how many times she crawled around in the trees back home though, and at the base, she'd never fallen once. She also intended to take no chances either coming back down, even with the jetpack boots upon her feet.

Fox continued to look straight up the tree in an attempt to spot Fara. He could hear her labored breathing through his headset as she'd never turned hers off. He concentrated upon her breaths, hoping it wouldn't suddenly stop, as that would signify another mishap on her part.

The vulpine's attention was drawn back to the Arwings as he heard Falco call out his name. He reached up and turned off the send portion of his headset, making sure that he wouldn't interfere with Fara's descent. "I'm over here, guys."

Falco and Peppy walked over, the hare carrying Fara's backpack, moving his shoulders around to try to find a better balance point for his. "How's Fara doing?" asked Peppy.

"She's coming down now. She's spotted possible hostiles however."

"I knew this wouldn't be easy," muttered Falco.

Fox shook his head. "There's two camps she's spotted – both some ten to fifteen miles away. Neither are in our travel path though."

"Thank goodness for little favors."

"Yeah. Hopefully we'll have a quiet—" A sudden noise of something dropping to the ground behind him caused him to jump and spin in place, drawing his blaster in the process.

Fara looked up from where she was brushing her paws off, staring at Fox's weapon. "Aren't you a little jumpy today," she commented with a smirk.

The vulpine sighed as he put his blaster away, not wanting to meet her gaze. "Sorry."

She wiped her paws on her pants one last time before standing up. "Don't worry about it. Nice reaction time by the way."

"Yeah."

Satisfied with how she looked, Fara walked over to Peppy to get her backpack, looking at Fox as she walked by. She could tell that he was embarrassed by his actions, as honest of mistake as it was. As it was partly her fault, she decided to quickly change the subject. "So, how's the Arwings look?"

Noticing the silence from Fox, Peppy took the answer as they walked over to the craft. "As you told us to do, Fara, they're mostly covered. Are you sure they're going to launch though?"

She nodded as she looked over their handiwork. "I'm sure of it. The sensors know that the craft aren't fully encased in something, so it'll just launch as usual and do a few barrel rolls to clear off the debris."

"They better," said Falco. "I don't want to hike back here again."

"Neither do I, Falco. Don't worry."

Fox stood some distance away from the others and stared into the jungle around him. He wished that the foliage wasn't so encompassing, as he could've sworn that he saw something earlier. His paranoia overruled his assumptions of them being alone as he hissed, "Peppy."

The hare turned around. "Yes, Fox?"

"What do think about our traveling weather?" he asked while he scratched behind both ears with his paws.

Peppy looked at his teammate in confusion for only a moment before nodding slowly, recognizing the signal his teammate was sending him. He glanced Falco's way and could tell based on his look that he'd understood the strange gesture as well. Concentrating on every little noise in the jungle around him, he tried to pick out anything that shouldn't belong as he answered. "Looked like clear skies as we came in all around. Shouldn't be an issue."

"Will the temperature be a factor for us at all?"

He closed his eyes and focused best he could on what he heard. He picked out the chattering of the unevolved birds above, of the many trees rustling in the slight breeze, and a snake slithering on the ground somewhere nearby. He could hear the buzz of the insects around him and the breathing of his companions. But as far as he could tell, nothing sounded out of the ordinary. "Feels like mid-80s or so," he said with a shake of his head. "We'll be uncomfortable with the humidity, but we've been through worse."

"Okay," he said, giving Peppy a nod as he opened his eyes. He was pleased that his teammates remembered the signals he'd taught them during their time on Papetoon. The hare's response relieved him, knowing that there wasn't a threat for the moment behind every tree and bush. "Team, let's move out, weapons drawn. Falco, you have the rear."

"Got it."

The pilots picked up their belongings and walked off, everyone short of Fara now understanding a bit of Fox's concern and worry over their situation. Fara on the other hand waited until they had left the clearing before trying to figure out what she'd missed by Fox's odd question. "Peppy, what was Fox really asking you?"

The hare smiled as he looked back to her, pleased that she'd learned their mannerisms quickly. Either that, or she was quite observant. "He wanted to know if I heard anything in the area. And before you ask, no, I didn't."

"Good." She continued walking, pushing away a branch that was in her path. "How? Was it Fox's question or his gestures?"

"His gestures. What he asked is entirely there as a cover incase somebody is watching." 

"Cool." She wondered what other little strategies and plans the rest of the team had devised from their time on Papetoon as they marched onward.

* * *

Fara looked around at the jungle foliage as the team continued onward, a smile plastered on her face. Even though she was deep within enemy territory, she was simply enjoying herself too much with nature itself all around her.

As a kit, she always loved wandering through Corneria's forests. Despite the planet's extremely low tolerance for pollution, the air always smelled purer with the trees and vegetation all around her. 

But best of all were the trees themselves. Oh, how she loved the trees. Her favorite pastime was to find the tallest oak tree in the area and simply climb straight up. Not only was it exhilarating exercise, but the best reward was when she reached the very top. The view itself was stunning, as she could look around for miles and miles, seeing nothing but the treetops. 

Even if she wasn't climbing trees, she still loved the forest itself. She loved just sitting back and watching the miniature ecosystem progress all around her. Every plant and animal had their part in keeping the area alive and thriving. No matter how large or small, every one of them was important. And she had such fun watching them all.

Despite how excited she was to be wandering among an unexplored jungle, she was still cautious. As per Fox's orders, her blaster was in one paw, ready to fire at the first signs of danger. She had no idea what dangers lurked within the brush, and she had no intention on being a liability in this mission.

The pilots had been moving at a hurried walk for about the last half hour, a pace that she could keep up with without even thinking. As she pushed herself past some thick, damp undergrowth, the sound of something rumbling far off in the distance reached her ears. She came to a halt to focus upon the noise and almost had Falco bump into her from behind. "What'cha stop for?" he grumbled.

She ignored him and tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. "I thought I—"

"—heard something," completed Peppy. "So have I, Fara."

Fox turned back towards the rest of his team. Now that somebody had mentioned it, he realized he'd heard something too. "What is it then?"

"I think its water."

"About time we found that stream," said Falco.

"That's the whole problem," said Peppy, concentrating on the noise now that he was standing still. "It's too loud to be a simple stream." 

"Come on, crew," said Fox, not wanting to stand around in hostile territory. "We won't find out what's going on if we stand here. Keep watch incase it isn't water, though." Without another word, they continued their travels, slowly growing worried in their choice of travel routes.

* * *

"Aw, fuck."

"Agreed, Falco."

The team had just passed into a thinner section of jungle, one only dotted with trees instead of ones constantly obstructing their path. Now with a clear line of sight, they now knew exactly what was causing the noise.

The so called stream was anything but. Instead, it was a fast moving river more than thirty feet across.

Fara moved forward to inspect the river more closely while the other pilots stayed back to discuss their options. Falco leaned against a nearby tree and pushed away one of the many vines which hung from the branches above as he asked, "Now what are we going to do? Looks like Pepper fucked up yet again."

Fox looked towards the river and kept an eye on Fara as he responded. "I don't know yet. Peppy, you think that river is natural? Or did it flood upstream recently?"

The hare ducked down and felt the nearby damp grass and other foliage before craning his neck upstream. "Looks like a combination of both, actually. It feels like it has recently rained here. Look at how the grass more or less disappears closer to the river, the ground itself turning to mud. That's one sign that this river overflows its banks often."

"Think that we could ford that without breaking our necks?"

"Debatable." Peppy looked among the rocks poking out of the water and tried to judge if any of them could make it across without getting wet before responding. "Fara might be able to find a path across to set up a rope or something. As for actually fording it though, I'd ask her. I can't tell how fast it's moving from up here."

Fara grimaced as her boots squelched through the shallow mud. It wasn't the mud itself she hated, as she'd somewhat accepted that part of nature thanks to her time in the forests. She just didn't know how it would react with her jetpack boots. Finding a large tuft of grass sticking up above the mud, she moved towards it, wanting to find a more solid surface before she looked at the river closely. Fay had said something about—

Fox's voice drifted over to her suddenly, barely audible over the roar of the river. "Fara, how fast is that water moving? Think we could cross it?"

Cross it? Was he mad? She didn't even need to look to realize that trying to swim across this river unaided was next to impossible. She reached up and turned on her headset as she responded, continuing to look at the rushing water. "I'm a good swimmer, Fox, but there's no way you're getting me into this water. Maybe if one of us got across somehow they could set up a rope or two, but…"

"Peppy said that there might be a path across via some rocks to your left." His reply came over the headset as well.

She looked over and found the rocks in question. It was a possibility in her mind, but if any of them slipped on the wet surfaces as they crossed… She continued looking for other avenues across and blocked that thought out of her mind. "It's a possibility. I'd like to avoid…hold on."

"Yes?"

"I think I found another…crap."

"Fara?"

"Aw, fuck."

His voice quickly grew anxious. "Fara, what's wrong?"

She quietly cursed Pepper's name, satellite problems or not, as she stared at the water. A large branch swiftly passed by and headed down a bend in the river that was out of sight of the pilots above. From her vantage point however, she knew exactly why the water was moving so quickly. She also knew why the trees some distance away that followed the water were so much lower.

Some 200 feet away, the branch vanished for good as it dropped straight down a roaring waterfall.

"Fox, this river promptly ends not too far from here."

"Ends? What, a waterfall?"

"Yup."

Fara heard some muted cursing from Falco through her headset. She smiled at the avian's vocabulary and wondered where he learned the drivel he was spouting. "Hold on, Fara," said Fox as he ended the communication.

Left in relative silence, she pondered over how to get across this obstacle. She looked at the nearest trees on the other side and debated if they had enough rope to attach a line to it from here. Her thoughts drifted downwards as she remembered what she was wearing on her feet.

"Fox, I think—"

"Fara, run!"

The combination of Fox's panicked voice and blaster fire made her swivel in place to find out what was going on. What she saw back up the hill came as a total shock to the vixen.

The vines that were hanging off the tree branches had somehow come alive, reaching out to entangle the pilots. Falco was already wrapped up tight, his muscles bulging in a futile attempt to break free. The other two were firing their blasters as fast as they could, severing the snaking vines with every successful hit.

Fara pulled out her own weapon, refusing to leave the rest of the team behind. She almost fell as she went to move closer to the others however, her feet simply not responding to her commands.

She tugged harder as she looked down, worried that she'd stepped into some softer mud. Instead, she found out that her situation was much worse.

The very grass she was standing on had somehow coiled around her muddy boots, rooting her in place. Her struggles to pull free were wasted, as her feet felt like they were encased in iron bands instead of simple foliage.

Disturbed by this finding, she tried once more before she gave up and raised her blaster into a firing position. She had teammates to save. Her own problems could wait.

Her first shot lanced though a vine that was getting ready to coil around Fox's legs, allowing him to continue moving backwards. A second freed Peppy's weaponless arm from a vine that had wrapped around it. She continued firing, finding shots that the others would've simply missed due to their position.

The vines began to attack faster, as if whatever was controlling them was tired of losing. Her own blaster was firing so quickly now that she could feel the weapon begin to heat up from overuse. It was not meant for the abuse she was putting it through, and she had a feeling that the others were experiencing the same issues.

She didn't have the time to worry any further as a vine attacked her from her right side and wrapped around her waist. The grass at her feet released their hold as the vine yanked on her, sending her crashing onto the soft ground. She fought to get to her feet again, but her options were limited as her blaster was now pinned underneath her.

As if sensing she was down, another vine shot out and grabbed her right arm, quickly looping around to bind her weapon arm to her chest. A second vine restrained her kicking legs, while a third caught her remaining arm. She grunted as she strained to break loose, but she simply didn't have the strength to regain her freedom. 

Panic welled up inside the vixen as she lost the mobility of all her limbs. Despite her best efforts, all she could imagine were the regeneration tanks and how helpless she felt while inside them. As the vines tightened their grip, her willpower crumbled. With no other options available to her, she yelled out to the one person she hoped could somehow free her. "Fox! Help me!"

* * *

The vulpine knew that Fara was assisting him instead of running off, simply based by the additional firepower she provided. As much as he wanted her to leave, he knew that her support was the only thing that had kept him and Peppy free for as long as they had been. As soon as she stopped firing, the vines redoubled their assault and captured the hare almost instantly.

He jumped backwards and risked a quick glance over his shoulder at where Fara was. At the same time, her panicked scream for help reached his ears. He felt his heart freeze as he saw her utterly helpless on the ground. His worst fears were coming true – he was failing to protect his team, to protect Fara.

Knowing that Fara would have the best chance of escaping, he turned, ran towards her, and ignored his own defense. His blaster fired and ripped into the vines that held her with deadly accuracy. He was going to free her, no matter his own personal cost.

He had pulled the trigger only four times, enough to vaporize the vines wrapped around her legs, when he was attacked. He fell to the ground stomach first as a vine latched on to one of his feet. Gasping for air, he rolled onto his back and fired wildly at anything that approached him.

Despite his best efforts, in the end he didn't have a chance as the attacking foliage simply overwhelmed him. Within seconds, he was as restrained as the rest of his team.

He thought about fighting against his bonds, but quickly remembered that Falco had been doing that ever since he was captured. He decided to conserve his strength incase an opportunity presented itself. Instead, he readjusted his hold upon his blaster and made sure it was secure in his paw. While it was relatively useless in this position, he wanted to be able to use it in a moment's notice if he somehow regained his mobility.

Fox let out a quick gasp of surprise as the vines gave a tug and lifted him into the air. Based on the audible reactions from the rest of his team, he guessed that the same thing was happening to them. He came to a stop a few seconds later, facing the rushing river. From his vantage point, he watched as the vines wrapped Fara back up once more and carried her over to him. She bucked and struggled for all she was worth, but it was quickly apparent from her lack of success that he made the right move in not resisting.

"What the hell are these things?" asked Falco from somewhere behind him. His voice was strained, signifying that he was still fighting. Fox tried to look at him, but the vines holding him aloft were in his way.

"I'd like to say these are simply part of the native flora and fauna," replied Peppy from Fox's other side, "but these attacks were simply too well coordinated to be part of nature."

"Too well coordinated, indeed," mocked a sinister voice from somewhere behind them.

It was a very familiar voice to the vulpine. It was a voice that he'd never forget as long as he lived. It was a voice he never expected to hear again.

It was Andross.

"Show yourself!" ordered Fox, the only one who wasn't too shocked at the sudden reemergence of the ape to say something about it.

A black cube about the size of Peppy's head drifted into view from behind one of the larger trees. It floated about two feet off the ground, almost soundless except for the occasional shot of thrust which propelled it in its intended direction. Its most striking feature however was how each of the four main faces held a photo of the dictator's face, each grinning contently.

As it grew closer, Fox realized that the images weren't static at all. Instead, they looked to be a live video feed of wherever Andross was. He could see the face move around, as if he was watching multiple displays at once. The cube slowly approached, looking more like it was taking its time, instead of being a slow moving object, and came to a standstill right in front of him.

"The great Fox McCloud," said Andross as he stared at the vulpine. "If I knew it was this pathetically easy to capture you five, I would've planned this from the beginning. Did you seriously think you could just land on my planet and get away with it?"

Fox was suddenly filled with such rage over the smug attitude of the ape that he let out a roar of frustration and strained against his bonds. "If I ever get my paws on you…"

"What, you'll kill me? I don't think you have it in you. And besides, you're a little…tied up right now."

The vulpine calmed down, no closer to freedom than before. "Rot in hell."

Andross smiled, waving a finger in a mocking gesture. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He concentrated and caused the vines to constrict tighter around Fox. The vulpine cringed in pain, his whole body screaming from the strain.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Fara, controlling her fears long enough to defend her teammate.

The cube slid sideways away from Fox, Andross simply focusing upon another face to call its front. As he left, the vines released their death grip and allowed Fox to breathe again. In seconds, Andross was hovering in front of Fara's face, looking deep within her eyes, within her soul. "An impressive showing, my dear, considering how much I know you despise the situation you're in right now."

"Go away," she said meekly, now very scared as to her fate.

"No, I don't think I will." He paused as he delved into her surface thoughts and looked for other useful information. To his momentary surprise, her mind was blank, as if she had some kind of natural protection around her. This might explain how she resisted his powers earlier, he thought. But he could break any barrier given time. "So, what information do you have inside that little head of yours?"

"What?" She looked even more frightened than she was before.

"Your amphibian teammate was a treasure trove of information as to some of the inner workings of the Arwing fighter. Especially once I broke into his mind. So much knowledge, so much—"

The pilots were obviously outraged at this information, but Falco was the first to yell something audible, despite the overwhelming power of their captor. "Why you hairy fucking son of—"

Andross' response was swift and effective. Vines shot out from the mass that was holding the avian and wrapped around his beak, silencing him instantly. Without a word or reason, he did the same to Peppy. He left the others unbound however. "You don't seem to realize that I'm in total control right now, do you?"

"What do you want with us, Andross?" asked Fox calmly, still catching his breath from the last attack. While he didn't understand exactly how the ape was holding his teammates captive, he hoped he had a limit as to his strength. Most of all, he had to get Andross away from Fara.

"What do I want?" The cube floated back over to the vulpine. "Considering that you're the supposed leader of this team, you're amazingly stupid. I want power. I want knowledge. Most of all, I want your deaths."

Fox's eyes darted around as he tugged again at his bonds, remaining silent at the response. There had to be a way out of here. There just had to be. 

"And you four are just loaded with information, information that I'll use to regain all my lost conquests. Especially with you all out of my way." He was in the process of flying back to Fara when he came to a stop, the images suddenly disappearing on the outside of the cube.

* * *

Back inside his control room, Andross winced in pain. Despite the sudden onset of a headache, he kept his focus upon the monitors above, making sure he didn't look away from the Starfox team for an extended length of time. He cursed as he felt the limitations of his mental powers come upon him. Back at his base in Venom, this would've never happened thanks to his Telekinetic Amplifier.

But now that was destroyed. And these pilots were at fault.

A quick glance at another monitor indicated that he didn't have any of his troops or natives in the area. And even if he had some of the planet's natives around, he wouldn't be able to do much with them short of turning the pilots into a quick meal without his telepathic powers.

He looked over the four teammates, occasionally struggling in a futile gesture to free themselves. He cursed again at his weakness, realizing that he'd need to remove at least one of the pilots out of the picture, and quickly. The initial battle to capture them went far longer than he expected. He burned too much of his reserves fighting them. 

With a smile, he turned the camera feed back on again. He'd remove a few of them from the picture now and extract the information he wanted from the survivors. And he knew exactly how he'd shock the rest of team into submission in the process.

* * *

Fara tried her best to figure out where her blaster was currently pointing, keeping watch on the still floating cube. She thought it was aimed towards her feet, but she had no way of knowing for sure without firing. The sequence of events that led to her capture left her no time to make any logical plans.

And she wasn't ready to fire a shot into her boots, armored or not, to find out for sure. Or worse, shoot one of her limbs.

The images on the floating device suddenly reappeared and showed Andross' hated face once more. He grinned as he continued his previous heading, coming to a stop right in front of her again. "Fara Phoenix," he said slowly, as if savoring each word. "My dear, little, vixen. My spies knew you were up to something or another so long ago. That's why I tipped my paw a little and tried to capture you aboard that transport."

What was he doing? Was he gloating, or was he trying to pry into her mind again? Or was he just taunting her somehow? She refused let him have the satisfaction of getting under her fur, even though he seemed to have won. She ignored her current situation best she could and hissed, "The first of your many failures."

"Quite a smart mouth on you as well. While I'd love to sit and pick your brain for a day, I've grown tired of your continued interference. Especially because of your work on the Arwings themselves. Come with me."

Her eyes widened in surprise as the tangle of vines moved and passed her from tree to tree. Where was he taking her? What was he going to do with her? Her fears intruded back into her conscious and threatened to take control once again.

"Where are you taking her?" demanded Fox. "Bring her back!"

"I'll take her wherever I want, McCloud. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Fara's eyes locked on Fox's and pleaded with him to do something. Being near him was the only thing that kept her fears away and she was quickly losing that. She struggled for her freedom and desperately yelled out to the vulpine. "Fox!"

"Put her down!"

"You know, I think I'll do exactly that."

The coldness of Andross' statement snapped her back to reality. Hearing what she thought was the sound of rushing water, she looked around and tried to figure out where she was. If she was above the river—

With no warning, the vines released their grip.

An instant passed in which she was felt completely weightless, as if the world itself had paused around her. She could see Fox's terrified face, clearly visible despite the distance. She saw Andross' cube, the face inside one of exquisite happiness. She also saw the raging water directly beneath her and heard the roaring waterfall not too far away.

And then the world simply restarted. Gravity took hold upon her body and dropped her ten feet into the river. She barely had enough time to inhale before the cool water surrounded her in its liquid depths.

Her mind cleared due to the shock of the impact, she surfaced with a gasp and desperately began swimming to the nearest shore. Within seconds she realized that despite her skill, she was simply carrying too much weight to make it to dry land before she ran out of river.

She was going to go over the waterfall.

From one of her nature books, she knew she had exactly one chance to slightly increase her odds of survival, however poor they were right now. Gathering her wits, she turned towards where the water ended and dodged past a few small rocks that wouldn't hold her weight if she tried. She kicked forward and gained momentum as she swam with the current. She had to swim fast enough to shoot out past the water's edge, to clear any rocks which might lie in wait at the bottom of the waterfall.

She just had to hope that the fall didn't kill her outright. 

She watched as the final few feet of water flew up towards her. Her last thoughts were on Fox as she took a final breath and launched out into the afternoon sky.

* * *

"FARA!"

Fox looked desperately towards the water and hoped to see some sign of the vixen as she vanished beneath the frothy surface. Not finding one, he watched Andross, looking for a sign that she somehow escaped the river's wrath.

Some twenty seconds after he dropped her, allowing the vines to simply fall next to the river, he slowly flew back, a sign of pure contentment upon his face. "Oops," he said with a smirk.

Fara was gone. She really was gone. And he still had no idea how he truly felt towards her. He closed his eyes in an attempt to keep the tears from streaming out as he hissed, "I swear by whoever is listening that I will get my revenge."

"Your threats are meaningless, McCloud. I think…wait a moment…" Fox heard the quiet hiss of the cube coming closer. "Are those tears I see? So, you really did care for that wench."

Fox's eyes shot open and stared face to face with Andross. Without warning, he lunged forward against his bonds and snapped at the cube. His jaws grabbed nothing but air as the ape hastily dodged out of the way.

"You're quite the feisty one. Then again, I can almost see your selfish reasons. Love is such a fickle thing, something so easily squashed by somebody else."

Fox growled as he tried to reach out and crush the mocking head, but gave up seconds later as the vines dug into his fur. He slumped back, no longer caring what happened to him. All he knew was that Fara was gone. "Do your worst. I don't care."

"We'll see about that." Fox watched as Andross seemed to look around, as if he was deciding his next move. If he was, it didn't take long before he came to a decision. "Come with me."

The vulpine felt the vines constrict around him and pull him into the air. He happened to catch a glimpse of his teammates as he turned around. While Falco's face was one of unbridled fury, they both showed fear. Who was going to be next? Which one was the unfortunate one who was going to see everyone else die first? Or was Andross going to do something even worse to them?

Andross' voice jerked Fox out of his thoughts. "Fox McCloud, leader of the Starfox team. How did it feel to see one of your teammates die right before your very eyes? How does it feel to know that your remaining friends are going to suffer a fate worse than death as I dig for every last scrap of knowledge that their minds contain?"

"Why them?" he asked in an attempt to think of a way to at least get his teammates out of the situation they were in. Those that were still alive anyway. "Let them go, and I'll tell you anything and everything you need to know. Willingly."

Andross laughed. "Do you honestly think that I'm that stupid? As it is, I'd rather have you alive than that simple-minded avian, but you're simply too dangerous. Between you and that wench, you're both equally to blame for all my problems. With you both out of my fur, the Lylat System won't stand a chance."

He winced as Andross brought up Fara again, albeit in a derogatory way, but kept talking. "The citizens will fight back. They'll rebel. You'll never gain complete control over the system."

"You're joking, right? Do you realize how easily the system crumbled before my assault the first time through? Do you seriously believe these peace-loving fools will think twice before submitting to my might again? They have no true defenses. They have no military. The very thought of war sends them scurrying back to their homes. I'll have won before I've even started."

Fox sighed, knowing that Andross was right. Short of the pockets of resistance on Papetoon and possibly a few other planets, the average citizen was simply too unwilling to put up a fight to defend their homeland for reasons he never figured out. He hoped that it would change because of what they'd been through, but it was only a hope, nothing more.

"Now if you'll excuse me," said Andross, "it's time for you to depart the world of the living. Somehow, it seems fitting – with your death, the entire McCloud line has died by my paws. Enjoy the last few seconds of your life."

Fox already knew exactly what to expect next, as he'd heard the river's roar coming closer. He looked down into the rushing waters with a look of determination on his face. He knew he was facing his death, but even now his mind was working. He just needed his arms—

The vines chose that moment to release him.

As Fara did before, Fox dropped straight into the water. The cool water soaked into his fur and weighed him down while adrenaline flowed through his body from the temperature shock. His limbs automatically pumped through a swimming motion as soon as he surfaced in an attempt to find safe ground. It took him no more than a few seconds to realize that he wasn't going to get out of the water.

Feeling lopsided as he was trying to swim, he remembered that he still had a death grip around the blaster in his right paw. Assuming it was still functional after getting soaked in the river, he now had a plan. It wouldn't save his furred hide, but it might just save his remaining teammates.

Still paddling opposite of the current so he wouldn't gain too much momentum, he glanced behind him and looked for a rock to grab on to. As luck would have it, there was one poking up above the rushing water not too far away. It was also only one of a few that he could see before he simply ran out of river.

Fighting a leaden feeling from his limbs as his whole body became waterlogged, he swam towards his goal with all his might. His whole body began to complain from the strain but he ignored it, knowing that he'd only have this one chance. Beyond that, it didn't matter what happened to him.

As the rock passed by on his left, Fox lunged and grabbed hold, his fingers scraping on the rough surface as they fought for a purchase. He let out a gasp as his arms were almost wrenched out of their sockets as his paws finally dug in, rapidly bringing him to a halt.

Ignoring the fact that the river simply ended not more than a dozen feet away from his trailing legs, he made sure of his hold before bringing his blaster into an aiming position. He rapidly fired, hoping that the ape would lose control over his mental powers if he was no longer actively watching his target.

The first shot went wide, but the second and third were dead on. The cube exploded into a shower of sparks and scrap metal, showering the river below with debris. 

He never got to see the aftermath as the rock that Fox was using as his support broke loose from the river bottom and sent the vulpine tumbling over the waterfall. 


	47. Action and Reaction

Sorry for the long delay between chapters here - I just haven't had the time lately to throw this into html format so everybody could read it. That and I haven't been able to log in to upload.

tikitikirevenge - Hopefully by the time you get to this chapter you've found that thesaurus you've been looking for. And while I'd like to think I have a good story here, there are some other great works on this site that shouldn't be missed.

Celestrio - My whole point in writing this fic was to greatly expand upon the comics, and I'm glad to see that you enjoy my writing because of that fact. I'm not sure what you found missing though last chapter, but I hope it doesn't happen again.

RedBay - Glad to see that you caught that last chapter. I made sure that question was answered since you brought it up.

Janus - Well, back in the comics (and the instruction manual of the SNES game), Fortuna was simply marked as 'also known as Dinosaur Planet'. Why I found it so odd that a new Dinosaur Planet suddenly popped up into the universe of the latter games. I've also taken your comment to heart, and while I write Falco as a loudmouth (especially now since he thinks he should be enjoying the easy life, instead of this mess he's now in), I'll keep tabs on what comes out of his mouth.

And finally - no matter what happens, let it be known that this is the team's final 'mission'. This story will end after that. It's just the whole act of finishing said mission that's so interesting. Now on to the story.

* * *

**Chapter 47: Action and Reaction**

_If there's anyone out there watching over us, please make sure Fox and Fara are alive. This system is simply doomed without them._ – Peppy

_I vow that if I ever get my claws on that piece of ape shit, I will tear him from limb to limb._ – Falco 

Peppy stood suspended in midair and watched in shock at the scene proceeding before him. In just a matter of minutes, he'd seen not only Fara's apparent demise, but now Fox's as well.

What hurt him the most was that there wasn't a single thing he could do to stop it.

He winced as Fox dropped into the raging river and landed with an ungrateful splash. He craned his neck against his bonds and tried to see what happened next, but the vines had him too well wrapped up. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't help at all.

Fox swiftly passed from his view. He figured the vulpine had only seconds before he fell off, at least based on the noises that Fara made earlier. Peppy was about to close his eyes in appreciation for his second lost friend when the situation suddenly changed.

Three blaster shots rose from the river, aimed directly at the floating cube. The first shot missed, but the second two broadsided its target like a speeding hovercar. The cube detonated in muted silence compared to the noise of the water underneath it.

Within moments, the mass of vines began sagging towards the ground, the force that held them aloft evaporating into the wind. Not needing any further hints, Peppy began tugging at his limbs and tried to pull free.

Seconds later, he worked his left paw free, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't pry his other arm loose. After giving a brief prayer of thanks to anyone above for what mobility he had now, he unwrapped his mouth before starting on his other side. "Falco?"

"Yeah, yeah," came the avian's reply. "I know."

Pleased to hear that his teammate was having the same success as he was in getting free, he quieted down and continued working. He knew it was only a matter of time before Andross returned, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be as forgiving as he was before.

Shaking his leg, Peppy found himself liberated a few minutes later. Giving his former bonds only a fleeting glance, he turned towards Falco to see if he needed any assistance.

The avian was precariously balanced on one foot, the other still tangled up in a clump of vines. With a growl he pulled out his blaster and launched a spread of shots into the vegetation. Satisfied with his work, he again tried to walk off, this time far more successful. After taking a few steps, he spun around and fired another half a dozen shots for good measure.

Covering a smile with one paw, Peppy asked, "You done there?"

He didn't even look towards the hare as he replied. "Yes. Come on."

The pair sullenly walked towards the waterfall, Peppy afraid of what they'd find when they looked over. He guessed that Falco had the same thoughts, but he was covering it with a layer of pure hatred towards Andross.

A minute later, they reached their goal. The water roared in their ears as it cascaded down the side of the cliff, its landing obscured by a thick layer of mist. From there, the water flowed generally towards the southeast, spreading outwards into a series of tributaries as the land slowly turned to swamp.

"Do you see anything?" yelled Falco over the blast of the waterfall.

Peppy's ears perked up at the sound of his teammate's voice, but other than simply putting up a paw to indicate that he'd heard him, he continued looking outwards. His eyes scanned the river in detail in an attempt to find any sign that the pilots were alive or dead. Spotting something that looked promising, he squinted his eyes and reached back with his other paw to find the binoculars that was stored in one of the many pouches on his backpack.

Falco's sudden grabbing of his shoulder caused the hare to jerk his head away from the area. He yelled again, "Do you see anything?"

Peppy sighed as he shook his head before looking back out to try to find whatever caught his attention before. He sighed and wished that the avian would learn the value of patience.

"We're going down there!"

Did he just say what he thought he heard? There was no way that Falco just suggested that he was going to find some way down the sheer cliff face. "What?" he hollered back, trying to pantomime his confusion best he could.

"We're going down!" he replied as he pointed out towards the cliff.

Still acting like he hadn't understood what was said, as he knew that Falco wouldn't follow him otherwise, Peppy gently grabbed his teammate's arm and dragged him away from the deafening waterfall.

After traveling about 100 feet, the hare turned around, knowing that he'd be able to hold a conversation without yelling back and forth to one another. Now he just had to figure out what made Falco's crazy mind tick with these ideas of his. "What did you say to me?"

"I thought you said you have good hearing," he said with a huff as he pulled off his backpack.

"Funny," he said drolly. "My hearing is exceptional, as you already know, but even I have issues trying to understand a conversation next to a waterfall. Now, what did you say to me last?"

Falco was digging through the items in his backpack and paying the hare little attention. "We're going down there to find Fox and Fara."

Peppy's eyes shot wide open. His guess as to what he'd heard was correct. "What?"

"Are you deaf?"

"I can hear you just fine. Do you have any idea how you're getting down there?"

"No."

"Do you know if either one of them are even alive?"

"No."

"We have a mission—"

"Screw the damn mission!" He pointed towards the waterfall as he continued. "There are two teammates down there, one of them who's been a friend of mine for years! I will not leave them until I know for sure!"

Peppy looked at Falco with a hint of sadness, having a good guess what he must be going through his mind right now. He just needed to figure out what he could say to fully convince his teammate that his position was the right one. "Falco, think this out for a moment."

"No."

"Then at least listen to me. Please?" After giving him a dirty look, the avian slowly nodded. "Good. Now, I've known Fox longer than you have. I'm just as worried, if not more so, about his well being. I know how you feel."

"No, you—"

"Falco…" Peppy stared at him until he remained quiet. "Even if we had a way to get to the ground below, that's going to take time. A lot of time. Andross is no doubt on his way here somehow or another. And there's no way he's going to be as gentle to us as he was this time around."

"So what are we going to do then?"

"We're going to continue on with this mission. We have a teammate who's to the best of our knowledge alive and well. Once we rescue him, we'll scour the planet for Fox and Fara. I have no intention on leaving without them either."

Falco stood there and contemplated their next move. After a few seconds, he let off a muttered curse and stomped towards the river, away from the waterfall. "Fine." He didn't get far before he stopped with another thought on his mind. "Hey, what about the headsets we have?"

Peppy shook his head with a sigh. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten such a simple thing. While it wouldn't change their plans any, it would help them on their journey knowing the others were alive. "A very good idea, my avian friend. Let me try."

He shrugged off his backpack and looked for his headset. After finding it, he was about to put it on when he flipped the power switch without a second thought.

The ear-shattering whine that emanated from the earpiece wanted to make him scream in pain. Controlling his urge to do so with difficulty, he killed the power as quickly as he could.

"What the hell was that noise?" asked Falco.

Peppy shook his head and tried to clear the ringing from his ears. "I think normal communications are being jammed. But there's only one way to find out."

"I am not—"

"You suggested the idea. Now follow up on it."

"Fine." The avian searched for his headset as well, but unlike his teammate he kept it inside his backpack just incase as he powered it up. The resulting noise was muffled, but just as nerve-wracking as before. "That's just lovely."

"Agreed. Let's go then, Falco. There's nothing more we can do here."

* * *

_Water…water everywhere._

Cold…so very cold.

Dark, cloying water all around.

Water pushing me in every direction.

Which way is up?

I don't know anymore.

I need to breathe.

I have to breathe.

Is the water getting lighter?

Am I going up?

I can't hold my breath any longer.

I have to breathe…now!

Fara Phoenix broke through the surface of the water and took in a desperate gasp of air before gravity grabbed hold of her body and dunked her under again. She kicked with her feet, her muscles screaming with the strain, and surfaced once more in the turbulent water. Fighting with what reserves she still had, she focused her attention on keeping her head above water and finding solid land.

Every movement of her limbs caused her to wince in pain and her entire body fought her commands. Despite her desperate attempts earlier, her dive had been far from perfect. In addition, the drop was simply too far to take without severe punishment to her lithe body.

Just as her legs locked up, her feet connected with solid ground. Using the last of her strength, she dragged herself onto the grassy ground at the water's edge. Her legs cleared the water as she let out a groan of exhaustion, her body finally failing her.

She lay there on the soft grass, her waterlogged clothing and fur soaking the once dry ground underneath her. As the afternoon sun beamed down on her and warmed her clammy skin, she used what energy she had left to focus on her senses. She was utterly defenseless as she lay there, and it kept her from enjoying the knowledge that she'd somehow survived the impossible.

She breathed hard through her nose and mouth, inhaling the smells of the damp ground and grass, of the water lilies and various flowers. She felt the slight breeze against her wet fur and she listened to the water gurgle as it passed behind her. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell she was safe for the moment, as she couldn't smell the ionized stench of a blaster shot or hear a lizard nearby in the grass.

A minute passed, then a second, where all she did was recuperate her spent energies. During that time, moving even a single finger was beyond her power. As the third minute came around, her eyes came to life, the rest of her body slowly following.

Letting out a grunt of exertion, she pushed herself to a sitting position and turned around so she faced the water. Feeling the sheer weight of her drenched clothing, she reached back and pulled off her backpack and then followed with her jacket. Next, she tugged off her boots and grimaced as she upended them and watched the water splash onto the already damp ground. She unhooked her blaster as well, surprised to see that it was somehow within its holster.

She was about to wring out her jacket and take a stock of what supplies were lost or ruined from the soaking when something that Fay told her yesterday floated through her mind.

_I see Fox floating down a sea of blue, and I see him being shot by you._

While there was no way in hell the second was going to pass, she thought, the first was definitely a possibility considering what had just happened.

Her muscles complained as she stood up, her bare feet sinking slightly into the wet soil. She looked upriver and tried to follow the water towards where she fell in, but it was out of her sight, the winding path blocked by the rise of the riverbank and occasional tree. Her gaze wandered back down the river, coming to rest on what looked to be a log floating by.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked again, quickly changing her mind as to what she saw. That was no log.

Instead, it was Fox McCloud, floating face down in the river.

"By the Creator, no…" Adrenaline flowed through her as she stared in shock at the vulpine. Her petty complaints about her sore body were nothing compared to this.

She had only one goal now – she had to save Fox.

Her goods forgotten on the bank, she ran the short distance back into the water. As soon as it got deep enough, she dove in and started swimming, pumping her limbs like a professional. She knew that she'd pay for this excursion in the near future, but now was not the time to worry about things like that.

She reached Fox within seconds of first entering the water. She ducked underneath him and reappeared on his other side, grabbing hold of his unmoving body. Finding no closer shore nearby, she kicked as hard as she could and propelled both of them back towards her landing spot.

She all but pushed the vulpine onto the bank then got out and dragged him away from the water. She knelt down next to him and checked for a pulse. Her own heart fluttered as she realized that she couldn't find a heartbeat.

She closed her eyes and searched her mind for the basic survival courses she took what felt like ages ago. Her eyes popped open as she remembered what she needed to do.

Fara pried open Fox's mouth and made sure his airway felt clear. Satisfied with how she didn't find anything, she placed one paw on top of the other and proceeded to start CPR.

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

"Come on, Fox," she said as she checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

"Come on…"

Ignoring the tears that were now streaming from her eyes, she desperately continued.

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

"Fight, Fox! Please!"

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

And still no response from the vulpine.

"I…I need you, Fox. You just can't give up on me now. I…don't leave me alone." Her own paws were shaking as she tried to find a pulse. Once again, there was no sign of one.

She rapidly blinked and cleared away the tears that had clouded her vision. She wasn't going to give up. Fox would come around. He just had to.

1…2…3…

On the third compression, Fox's eyes suddenly shot wide open. He leaned forward and sucked in a giant gasp of air. But to Fara's ears, it didn't sound right. It was as if he had water lodged deep inside his lungs, fighting to get out.

Knowing what was going to happen next, she grabbed Fox, flipped him onto his side, and aimed his head towards the water below. After another gurgling breath, the vulpine promptly vomited the river water he had inhaled earlier.

Afterwards, he wiped his mouth with a sleeve and flopped onto his back, trying to get his breathing under control. He gave Fara a weak smile as he tried to say something, but it only came out as a quiet mumble.

Fara was so grateful to see him alive again that she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. "What did you say?" she asked as she lifted his head close to one of her ears.

"I shot…the cube. Other two…safe."

"Good job. I don't know if I could've pulled anybody else out of the river like I did with you. You're heavy you know."

Fox simply nodded and smiled once more. "Thank…you."

She smiled back as she noticed his wandering eyes lock on to her wet own. "You're welcome. Nobody is dying on my watch. Especially you."

The vulpine slowly reached up with one paw and caressed her face before he closed his eyes and dropped into unconsciousness. Returning the gesture and blinking away new tears that were threatening to fall because of it, she lowered him to the ground.

After checking his pulse to make sure he was okay, she gave him another peck on the forehead and leaned back to take stock of Fox's condition. Unlike her own fortune as far as her supplies went, he didn't seem to be anywhere near as lucky. His flight jacket was missing, his blaster was gone, and his backpack was nowhere to be found.

She grimaced at the thought of only having one weapon between the two of them. Wondering if her blaster still worked, she walked over to where she'd dropped it and picked it up. Taking careful aim across the water, she fired.

The weapon broke the relative silence of nature with a hiss and left a scorch mark on the grass. Satisfied that it still worked as designed, she went to put down her weapon, idly wondering if she'd be able to protect the both of them long enough for Fox to get a weapon of his own from a lizard.

Andross' lizard force…

She froze and realized that they were both in serious trouble.

She had a feeling that Andross would be furious with the loss of the cube and the loss of the pilots he'd held captive. He'd at least send out another cube, if he had others, or one hell of a lizard force in retaliation.

And odds were he'd check to see if she and Fox were dead as well.

She had to find a defensive position somewhere. Or she needed to continue with the mission somehow. She grimaced as she turned back towards Fox. How was she supposed to do either with an unconscious teammate?

Fara padded around on the grassy hill and looked for some way to drag Fox around until he woke back up. She mentally went through her supplies and thought about what she could combine to create some way to pull Fox away from the water and towards their goal.

She came to a stop in front of a large tree. She looked up towards the branches with a smile as realization hit her. The answer was a simple one – with two relatively straight branches and the small thermal blanket in her backpack, she could create a sling of sorts to carry the vulpine. It wouldn't hold together for very long, but it should work long enough to get away from the river.

Now she just needed some way to cover the rather obvious tracks she'd leave in the process. She looked around, her eyes coming to rest on a large bush sitting near the water's edge. Perfect, she thought. She'd attach some of the more leafy sections behind her sling to obscure her tracks.

She glanced into the tree again, and upon coming to the conclusion that there were no suitable branches available in this one for her to use, walked towards the bush instead. There were plenty of trees in the area. She'd find the one she needed shortly. In addition, she didn't want to go searching until she'd reequipped herself first. Climbing trees while barefoot wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, especially in hostile territory.

The bush that she'd picked out was as tall as she was and covered with some kind of thick blue-green leaves. She reached into a buttoned pants pocket and dug through what items she had stored there, grateful that it felt like everything was still available. As she moved around the leaves up top with one paw, she pulled out a collapsible knife with the other.

Finding a long, leafy branch, she was about to cut it off when her foot kicked something hard hidden underneath the bush. She jumped back as she brought the knife into a defensive position, as she knew it wasn't the bush itself that she'd kicked. It was too rough and solid to be of the same material that the branches were made out of.

After standing there for a few seconds, satisfied that nothing was going to jump out from underneath the bush, she inspected her bare foot for any injury before cautiously approaching again. She ducked down low and spread the branches apart with one paw, still keeping her knife ready if she needed it. What she found hiding inside completely stunned her.

It was a small boat.

Amazed at her find, she grabbed hold of the boat and pulled it out into the afternoon sun. The light revealed that it was a little longer than she was tall, and it looked to be carved out of a single tree, as there were no visible seams along the hull. The bark from the tree still adorned the exterior, but the interior was smooth, as if somebody had sandpapered it or something after cutting the insides of the tree away. On the bottom of the boat lay a single paddle, ready for her to use.

She smiled at her incredibly good fortune, hoping that this vessel was as sea-worthy as it looked. And there was only one way to find out.

Fara dragged the boat across the dirt and grass, moving it towards the water. She then walked into the river, pulling the boat the rest of the way. It entered the water without a hitch, and while it floated somewhat high for her liking, she knew that it would drop down lower as soon as she added some weight into it.

As far as she could tell though, this would easily get both her and Fox away from where they were now. And hopefully the vulpine would wake while they traveled, getting rid of the issue of what to do if he didn't. All she needed to do was get some distance away from the waterfall and from whatever search parties Andross decided to send out.

She pushed the boat back to dry land and made sure it wouldn't float off while she got ready. She then put back on her belt and blaster, but slung her jacket and backpack over her shoulder as she carried her boots back to the water. She figured she'd use the jacket as a pseudo-blanket for Fox, as her thermal one wouldn't respond well to water.

She dropped the backpack and jacket into the boat and entered the shallow part of the water to wash off her feet again. While a little water wouldn't hurt the inside of the boots, especially after the soaking they were through already, the dirt and mud she'd picked up from walking around would make her uncomfortable at best. After putting her boots on, she looked through her backpack and was impressed to find that everything was still strapped down inside and dry in their plastic bagging.

She pulled on the backpack and walked back to Fox. He was still lying comfortably in blissful unconsciousness on the damp ground. Shaking her head at how he avoided all the problems she'd gone through, she leaned down and half-dragged half-carried him to the boat. She grunted with exertion as she lifted him in, her muscles complaining about the work she was making them do again.

Fara pushed the boat into the shallows once more. After readying herself, she gave one last shove and clambered in. The boat rocked from the sudden movement, but both of them were now in and were moving downstream in the current.

She carefully covered Fox's curled up form as best she could with her jacket and then took the paddle in paw and began guiding the craft through the water. Many colorful trees and bushes passed by as she journeyed downstream, and the current behind her was strong enough to propel her forward without additional effort.

Tributaries began branching off from the main stream as the time slowly passed, but she decided to stick with the main flow for the time being. She still wanted distance at this point, not a variance of direction. That and she had no clue how far any of these smaller waterways went before coming to an end.

Eventually the current slowed down, forcing her to start paddling to keep any decent forward momentum. Her muscles began to complain from the strain once again, and she yawned occasionally, a blunt reminder that she desperately needed the same rest that Fox was getting. She looked down at the vulpine occasionally as she paddled, satisfied to see his chest slowly rise and fall with each breath of his.

As she continued forward, she noticed the terrain around her slowly change. What was once dry grassland turned into soggy marshland. What was once soft dirt turned to wet mud.

Fara let out a great yawn as she looked for a spot to tie up her borrowed boat, too tired to find a place to come to shore. She didn't want to travel any further into the swamp either, as that was the last place she wanted to walk around in.

Around the next bend, she spotted a nearby bush draped some ways over the river. She smiled as she saw it, as not only would it stop her craft, but it would provide some cover from anybody looking for her.

Stifling another yawn, she pulled the length of rope out from her backpack and tossed it around the bush. Not finding a spot she could secure the ends to on the boat, she tied the other part to her wrist. She felt a slight tug as the craft came to a stop, the slow current underneath trying to move the boat along, but she was satisfied that she wasn't going anywhere.

She craned her neck as she searched for the sun. Comparing its position verses the compass and watch combo she had in her backpack, she figured she had two hours or so of sunlight left. Just enough time to get in a quick catnap, she thought.

She took one final look around to make sure she was alone before lying down as comfortably as she could in her half of the boat. She unhooked her blaster and placed it underneath her, hiding the existence of her weapon incase somebody jumped her. 

As she closed her eyes, her last thoughts were on the vulpine lying nearby. 


	48. Lost and Found

Lots of time to write, little time to edit, and no time to upload to the site.

* * *

**Chapter 48: Lost and Found**

_There's nothing quite like spending time among nature. I could spend hours just walking through the forests of Corneria, feeling the soft breeze flowing through my fur and the cool water running between my toes. I wonder if there's some way to spend some time here after the war doing the same…_ – Fara 

Fara slowly woke from her nap with a yawn, keeping her eyes closed for just a while longer. She instead focused on the noises around her, wanting to listen to the sounds of nature instead of worrying about what was upcoming as far as the rest of her day went.

Unfortunately, what she heard was completely wrong.

Instead of the birds she'd been listening to when she dozed off, she heard little short of a lone cricket singing in the afternoon. The water that gurgled against her boat before had gone silent, making her wonder what was going on. And then there was a smell of death that permeated the air, instead of one of flowers and grass.

Confused, she cracked one eye open. It only took a moment before both eyes shot wide in shock.

She was not where she'd fallen asleep.

The biggest change from where she was before was the different vegetation. Or more accurately, the complete lack of it. There were no bushes. There was no grass. There was hardly any color at all.

All that her eyes could see was mud. Short of the motionless water her boat sat upon, everything else was thick, brown mud. Some of it looked dry, most of it looked wet, and all of it looked like it was waiting to grab her feet and suck her into its miry depths.

The trees that inhabited this region looked surprisingly alive and vibrant, at least compared to the boggy ground that they grew upon. Thick roots were visible above ground as they supported the large trunks and their many branches. Many of the limbs sported brown, fuzzy leaves of some sort, making her wonder how they compared to the forests she was used to visiting.

In another oddity, the trees were packed close enough together that they did an excellent job blocking out the late afternoon sun. What little sunlight streamed through made eerie, disjointed patterns on everything as a slight breeze caught the vegetation. She figured that was why there was so much sloppy looking mud underfoot, as the sun didn't have a chance at evaporating the standing water.

"How the heck did I end up in this swampy hellhole?" she quietly asked herself. Tired of looking out across the mud from her side, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and continued to mutter. "Fox better be—"

Short of her jacket, the other side of the boat was completely empty.

Panic welling up inside, the first thing she did was reach for her blaster. Much to her relief it was still underneath her. All other concerns pushed aside, she unsteadily stood up in the boat and searched for the vulpine.

She'd barely begun to look when she heard the sound of somebody squelching through the mud. Not taking any chances, her blaster was quickly drawn and pointed towards the noise. Her ears perked up as she determined that whoever it was, they were getting closer. But she couldn't tell from exactly where.

"Identify yourself!" she yelled as she tried to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Fara? It's Fox!"

Relief flooded through Fara as she heard the vulpine's voice. For one horrible moment she thought that she'd have to travel through this dismal swamp alone, searching for the one she was so close to. It was not an adventure she wanted to partake in.

She remained standing as she listened to the approaching teammate, her weapon back in its holster. She had a paw nearby however, incase she needed to use it. She knew the powers of Andross and she was not going to be caught unprepared after their last encounter.

She beamed as Fox finally appeared from behind a clump of trees, continuing his march through the ankle-deep mud. Without even thinking of the consequences, she vaulted over the edge of the boat into the water below.

"Fara, the ground there—"

She splashed into the still river, the water coming up to her knees. Unfortunately, that wasn't all she landed in. The ground itself was anything but solid as she sank up to her calves in thick mud.

"–is really soft."

Fara gasped as she felt the mud encircle her boots. She threw her weight forward and pulled at her legs, but found that the mire had already locked like a vice around her feet. Her fears of being trapped rose to the forefront of her thoughts as she switched tactics and reached underwater to grab her left knee and pull for all she was worth.

She discerned movement towards freedom when she heard a muted laugh from in front of her. Not letting up on her struggle, she let out her frustration of getting into such a stupid situation. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

Fara could feel movement from her left leg, and took that as a sign that she was almost free. Her guess was correct she found out, as it came loose a few seconds later. She put her foot onto more dry ground and used the additional leverage to work her other leg free.

Upon regaining her mobility, she moved close to Fox and wrapped her arms around his chest as she was so thankful to see him again. Much to her surprise, he was slow to respond to the attention. "Fox, what's wrong?"

He looked down at her as he replied. "This is just…sudden, that's all."

Sudden? She thought back to their close encounter earlier in the day, as well as the recent times she'd gotten through his defenses to try to find how he felt. She let go and stepped back, careful to not fall into the water. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Fox turned around and took a few steps away from her, as if in embarrassment. "I…remember shooting at Andross in the river. I hit his cube, and then I just fell. I…don't remember what happened after that. Why?"

She mentally cursed. This seemed like the time that Fox finally showed his closeness towards her, and he'd simply forgotten about it thanks to his trauma. "Don't worry about it." She cautiously approached, watchful of her footing as she continued. "How do you feel?"

"I…feel fine. A bit sore in spots, but fine."

She looked him up and down, not fully believing him after what had happened. But he looked as good as she'd remembered him being in the past. "Where'd you wander off to earlier? You scared the daylights out of me when I woke up."

He looked around before turning his attention back on her. "I was trying to figure out where we were and I didn't want to wake you. Do you have any idea where this place is?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. However…" She paused and reached into a pouch on her backpack and pulled out the still damp map that Pepper printed out earlier in the day. "I think it's pretty obvious that we've ended up in this nameless swamp at the end of the river. But how we got here is another matter entirely."

Fox stayed quiet as she walked back to the boat. Much to her surprise, her craft was completely empty short of her jacket and the lone paddle she'd used earlier. "Isn't that just great," she muttered.

"What's wrong?"

She leaned forward at the water's edge, not wanting to spend any additional time in the gluey mud she'd jumped into earlier. Straining, she got enough of a grip on the boat to pull it closer to shore. "I tied the rope I had to a bush I found on the edge of the river. The other end was around my wrist. I guess I slipped it off somehow while I was sleeping."

"Sounds like it."

With a final tug, the boat grounded itself into the mud next to her. She reached in and grabbed her jacket. She slipped off her backpack and juggled it around in her paws as she put her jacket back on. Satisfied with how it fit, her backpack went on again. "Come on," she said as she squelched through the mud towards Fox. "I'm tired of this damned swamp already."

"Where to?"

"To the north, silly. Towards Andross."

"I know that," he replied as they met up and began walking. "I thought you had something more specific in mind."

"I do." Feeling more secure with Fox right next to her, she began looking at the trees nearby. "I'm just trying to find it."

Not locating any trees in the area that looked sturdy enough to climb, the pair continued their trek through the mud. Fara absolutely hated walking through the stuff as it constantly grabbed at her ankles, threatening to suck off her boots with practically every step. After almost losing a boot for the fifth time, she stopped long enough to fully tighten the straps up top. She knew she'd be uncomfortable after a while, but at least she wouldn't lose her footwear.

After a few minutes, they came to a triad of trees that looked to be at war with each other. Many of the leafy brown branches were intertwined with their neighbors, each fighting to be closer to the sun's limited light. As far as her eyes could tell, these were some of the tallest trees in the area as well. Something she'd been looking for, as she wanted to make sure they were traveling in the right direction.

"You think you can climb that?" asked Fox.

She gave him a strange look. "Of course I can climb this. There hasn't been a tree yet that I can't climb into." She looked back towards the trees and wondered why the vulpine would ask such a stupid question. With the branches wrapped together like they were, she'd have plenty of paw and foot holds at the lower levels. She couldn't tell how it looked up top as the leaves were simply too thick from her viewpoint.

"Need anything?"

"Yeah." After pulling her compass out, she stripped off her backpack and held it out for the vulpine to take. Her eyes remained on the trees as she visually charted a path up as far as she could see. "You can take my backpack again."

"Okay."

Freed of the weight and balance issues her pack would've caused, she buttoned up her jacket and made sure that it wouldn't catch on anything during her climb. She debated on passing her blaster over to Fox, but she'd climbed with it before. Another journey up with it on wasn't going to affect anything. While it would leave her teammate defenseless, they both could hear anybody approaching from a long distance away. She could always toss it down if he needed it that badly, anyway.

"I'll see you in a bit, Fox." She tapped her helmet. "Yell if you need anything." She then walked off towards her goal.

Or at least tried to.

Fara whirled her arms in an attempt to keep her balance after she tried to take a step forward and failed. She looked down at the mud that circled above her ankles, and after a few experimental tugs, found that the mire had congealed into a near solid from the time she'd spent standing still looking at the trees.

Muttering curse words at her situation once again, she leaned forward and yanked hard at her mired feet. She tried her left leg, then her right, then her left again before she finally broke free with a sickening slurp. She almost lost her balance a second time as her foot plopped into the mud in front of her, but she stayed upright with difficulty.

Her other foot was freed shortly thereafter with the same application of brute force, allowing her to walk again. Ignoring the muted snickers from her teammate, she worked her way to her goal, stepping free of the mud completely as she climbed on top of one of the many large roots surrounding the tree.

She kicked the bark a few times and tried to dislodge the muck that found a permanent home on her boots before she turned her attention to the lowest branch of the tree. After brushing her paws on her pants, she jumped up and grabbed the tree limb. She hung there for only a moment before pulling herself up, and from there her climb started.

The climb itself was difficult physically for her tired body but not mentally, allowing her mind to concentrate upon some of the things that had been nagging her ever since she woke up. Fox was acting weird in her mind. Really weird.

She reminded herself that near-death experiences tended to change the most hardened of people as she pushed a few of the bulky leaves out of her way. She was the perfect example of that when she almost didn't make it home from deep space that one mission a few weeks back. Her Arwing almost became her grave.

But what had happened to Fox's protective side? What happened to him always wanting to be close to her? Had something just snapped in him? Or was there something even bigger going on that she didn't know of?

Maybe it wasn't Fox down there at all.

She shuddered at that thought and pushed it out of her head. That had to be Fox down below. It was definitely him when she pulled him out of the river earlier. Could he have been taken right under her nose when she was asleep? And what about what Fay had told her yesterday?

She didn't have time to worry further as she realized that she'd broken through the tree line. It surprised her at first, as she didn't think she'd been climbing for very long. She pulled herself onto another strong branch and looked around in an attempt to judge her height.

As near as she could tell based on the trees that she could see around her, she was only 50 or 60 feet off the ground. She couldn't tell for sure, as she couldn't see the ground except in random spots thanks to the dense leaves spreading outward from the tree all around. She looked up and found that she still had some distance to go if she wanted to reach the top.

The thick branches easily supported her weight as her gaze wandered northward. A relatively short distance away, she spotted an unnaturally large gap in the tree cover. As far as she knew, there was only one thing that would explain that large of an opening – Andross' base.

Pulling out her compass, she made a mental note of which direction they needed to go to reach their goal. As far as she could tell, they only had one or two miles to go. One or two miles through sucking mud, unfortunately.

She was about to switch on her headset and report her findings when Fox yelled at her from below. "Find anything yet?"

A chill worked its way up Fara's spine from the question. It wasn't because it was unusual, or from the fact that the vulpine didn't use his headset to communicate, but because his tone sounded…hostile.

Now she was worried. Very worried.

"I'm still climbing, Fox," she hollered back. "Is your helmet not working or something?"

"No, it's not. Let me know when you get to the top."

"I will."

Fara silently cursed as she thought of the vulpine below. Was it Fox down there, being mind controlled, or was he just acting absurdly strange? Or was she facing one of Andross' androids again? She fingered her blaster, grateful to have it with her on this climb. That, and the chance for a surprise attack, was her only advantages right now.

She just needed to know if it was Fox in the flesh and blood or not.

Looking down, she tried to trace down the source her teammate's voice. It didn't take long before she gave up. There was simply too much foliage between her and the ground.

That didn't deter her though. She had to know the answer. After testing the strength of the branch she was on once more, and still just as impressed with the results as she was before, she slowly walked away from the relative safety of the tree.

The wide, brown leaves rustled underneath the branch as the limb bent slightly to accept her weight. Holding her arms out wide, she continued to inch along. She could see a spot where the leaves seemed to thin out up ahead. If she was lucky, she'd be able to see the ground from there.

The branch creaked underneath her, as if warning her not to continue. She took the hint and stopped. To her relief, she found herself above her goal. After making sure of her balance, she looked down through the leaves.

She struck gold with her findings.

What looked to be about 60 feet or so beneath her was Fox. The vulpine was pacing back and forth in the mud and constantly looking upwards. And it looked like he was armed.

Armed? Fara knew that he was unarmed before she started climbing, and she knew she didn't have another weapon inside her backpack. In addition, he simply didn't have a place to store one with his jacket and holster missing. Where did that weapon come from?

She crouched down on the thick branch and brought a paw up to her helmet, activating the binoculars installed there. She zoomed in on Fox's paws, her heart skipping a beat as she focused on what he was wielding.

It was most definitely a blaster. But it wasn't anything that Corneria or its allies used in battle. In fact, unless her guess was wrong as she hadn't seen too many up close, it looked more like a Venomian weapon. The style was completely different compared to what she was carrying.

Fara's breath came in short gasps as she concluded that she'd have to fight yet another one of Andross' androids. There was no other explanation as to his aggressive and non-protective stance, a weapon that suddenly appeared out of nowhere that wasn't his, and questions that simply made no sense considering what he should know.

But could she shoot Fox, even though she knew it wasn't him?

Shaking her head at that dreadful thought, she knew she had only one lone advantage. She had the element of surprise. She knew how to kill her target. It was also counterbalanced by the fact that she had very precarious footing. Getting into a blaster fight while up in a tree wasn't exactly a good idea.

It was all about her first shot. She had to destroy the android with it.

Still trying to control her rapid breathing, she pulled out her blaster. She looked down the sights at her target via her binoculars and made sure of her aim. She couldn't afford to miss.

Finding a pattern in the android's movements, she flipped the switch to charge her blaster. Her target continued to scan the trees above while she waited the few short seconds for her weapon to come online. "Please don't see me," she murmured silently.

Her blaster's muted chirp, informing her it was charged, was all it took to give away her position.

Fara watched as Fox came to an immediate stop and turned his head to look directly at her. As his weapon moved into position to attack, she shot off a quick prayer that he was truly an android as she fired her own.

The bolt lanced through the space between them. It looked like a perfect shot, one aimed directly at the vulpine's chest. But it was not to be.

Fox leaned forwards on his ankles and positioned himself so he was almost horizontal, just inches above the mud. The shot passed through where his chest was moments before and ended up striking the mud between his legs.

The supercharged shot still caused the mire to erupt in a small explosion and sent the vulpine arcing through the air. As he flew, he somehow twisted his body right-side up into a firing position and wasted no time in counterattacking.

Panicking, Fara pushed off with her feet and jumped backwards into the denser foliage. Blaster shots missed her by inches and singed her fur. One shot whizzed by her face close enough to momentarily blind her from the flash. She gagged as she got a whiff of the ionized air left in the shot's passing.

Luck was on her side as she landed. The branch swayed under her sudden impact but held with a groan. Blinking her eyes in an attempt to clear the tears streaming from them, she inched backwards and felt the way with her paws. She had to get back to the relative safety of the tree's core.

Then, as suddenly as the attack started, it stopped.

Fara let out the breath she was holding as she felt her back press against the rough bark of the tree. She wiped her eyes clear, powered down her blaster, and used her paws to mask her breathing as she debated on her next move.

Instead, the android did. "It seems that my deception wasn't good enough," he yelled. "How did you know?"

"What do you want?" she yelled to one side as she tried to hide her location best she could. Now that she could see again, she quietly climbed to the other side of the tree.

"What do I want? I want a slow and torturous death for you and that damnable McCloud. I was hoping this swamp would do you in quite nicely, but it seems that you just don't want to die."

"Where is he?" Her request came out more as a panicked demand.

A triad of blaster bolts struck the tree near where Fara was before she started climbing away. Silenced ensued for a few seconds before Fox responded. "Your beloved vulpine is within my clutches. And that's all you need to know, as you aren't leaving this tree alive."

Now with the tree's trunk between her and the android, Fara chanced her safety by activating the homing beacon installed in hers and Fox's headset. She didn't know exactly how the system worked, but she knew that the other headset would be able to track it wherever she was.

It had only one small side effect – the android below was able to track the signal as well.

A blaster shot crashed into the tree behind her, quickly followed up by a half dozen more. Chunks of bark flew into the skies as she hurriedly flipped off the beacon. Knowing her position was compromised, she grabbed hold of the branch she was sitting on and dropped down to a lower level.

The tree shuddered one final time from the blasts before silence ruled over the swamp again. A silence that didn't last as Fox's voice echoed through the trees once more. "Do you seriously believe you can simply hide up there until your so called help arrives?"

Fara remained quiet as she looked around for an escape route incase he started shooting again. But all she could see around her were the leaves and branches of the intertwined trees. Their closeness however, gave her an idea how to turn the tables on this lopsided battle.

Suddenly, the tree started to shudder again, accompanied by the sounds of blaster fire. She sat confused for a moment, as the shots weren't aimed in her general direction at all. Instead, based on how the entire tree shook, they were focused at the base itself.

The answer struck her like a Nova Bomb – the android was going to cut down the tree she was sitting in.

With no time to waste, she hurriedly rose to her feet and stuck her blaster back in its holster. After making one last glance at the nearby trees, she chose the one on her right and started to run as fast as she could to relative safety.

The branch creaked under her weight as well as shook from the continued attacks from below. Looking forward, she could make out where the branch she was on ended and where her salivation lay. It was only moments away.

She didn't get that time, as the tree picked that moment to start its rapid descent towards the ground.

Fara took one final step before she vaulted into the air. She threw her arms forward and reached for the nearby branch as gravity took control of her momentum.

She missed.

The outstretched tips of her fingers brushed uselessly against her goal, unable to do anything to slow her movement. The large leaves offered no support either as she ripped right through them.

Just as she reached over with her paws to fire off her jetpack boots to stop her rapid descent, her right foot landed hard on a sturdy branch hidden under the leafy canopy. Left stunned in pain from the unexpected stop, she toppled forward and rolled right off the branch.

Instinctively she grabbed hold of the limb as she started to fall again and finally brought her downward momentum to a jarring halt.

Gritting her teeth from the pain in her foot, Fara pulled herself up. It took only a few seconds, but those seconds felt far longer as she struggled to get a foothold upon the branch.

Ignoring her pain, she carefully turned around and looked out into the swamp. The android was still out there somewhere, and she had to know if it had heard her escape.

While she still couldn't see a thing thanks to the concentration of leaves around her, the noise of the tree crashing to the ground was deafening compared to the silence she had grown accustomed to. A minute passed before quiet returned to the swamp. Her ears twisted forward and strained to hear anything.

And then she heard it – the unmistakable sound of somebody walking through the mud below.

She silently pushed the leaves in front of her out of her way and tried to find the android below. She had to find out where he was and what he was doing.

She had to kill him before he figured out where she was.

After a few seconds she spotted the android below, poking his way through the fallen tree. Based on how he was easily snapping the smaller branches in half as he walked by, she could tell that he was pissed off.

Just as she brought up her blaster, the android stopped in mid-step and tilted his head to one side, as if he'd heard something. Fara froze, hoping against hope that she hadn't been detected. She knew that she wouldn't survive a second encounter with the mechanical beast if she had.

The android turned around and scanned the area. His blaster followed his movements as he looked, ready to fire without hesitation. Fara felt her heart jump as his eyes passed near her hiding spot, but he didn't stop. Instead, he focused on a location some distance behind her, on the ground.

Forcing herself to take a muffled breath, Fara concentrated on her hearing. It didn't take long before she heard what she assumed was the same thing the android did.

It was somebody else hurriedly approaching their location.

Fara looked around and tried to spot the newcomer, but there was too much foliage in her way. She didn't need to see who it was as the person yelled out from somewhere below her not too long afterwards. "Where's Fara!"

It was Fox.

Relief flooded through the vixen as she heard her teammate's voice. It was a voice she wasn't sure she'd ever hear again, not after he was taken away from her earlier.

But was it really Fox? Or was it just a very elaborate ruse to get her to reveal her location?

She slowly inched her blaster into a firing position as the android spoke up. "Your beloved vixen had an accident, I'm afraid." He gestured behind him with his head. "Gravity has this wonderful effect on people when they fall from high places."

Fara heard Fox roar in agony and then open fire with what she assumed was a stolen Venomian weapon. The shots ripped through the android's clothing, but as she expected, left the robot itself completely unharmed.

Her shot, however, wouldn't have the same effect.

As the two exchanged fire, Fara silently bided her time as her weapon charged up its killing shot. It only took a few seconds, seconds in which she hoped that Fox wouldn't get himself killed wherever he was below.

As soon her blaster gave off its trademark beep, she pulled hard on the trigger.

In the moment before impact, she thought she saw a look of surprise on the android's face, but she couldn't be sure as the bolt struck him squarely in the chest. The resulting explosion sent him hurtling through the air, his flight coming to a sudden stop as he crashed into a nearby tree. His lack of movement and the gaping hole through his chest told her that she'd won.

But what about the other Fox below her? Was it truly the real one? As her position was compromised thanks to her firing, there was only one way to find out.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as Fara rapidly descended the tree. She winced every time her right foot connected with something solid, but it felt like it was still in one piece.

With a grunt, she landed on the tree's roots. She looked around for Fox, her blaster still drawn and ready for any eventualities.

The vulpine was standing idly by only a few feet away, blaster drawn. What relief his expression showed turned to mild shock as she aimed her weapon directly at his chest. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Identify yourself!" she yelled back.

"What?"

"Prove to me you aren't another of Andross' screwed up creations, or else I'll do the same to you!" As if to prove her point, her blaster beeped again.

Fara watched as Fox's eyes locked with hers, as if he was trying to judge how serious she was about shooting. She ignored his stare and kept watch on his limbs instead, to ensure he didn't try to raise his weapon.

After what seemed like ages, but was only a few seconds, he replied. "Remember the simulators for the Arwings?"

"Yeah."

"You were my final combatant after Falco was crushed the day Pepper decided it was a bright idea to let us shoot at each other, albeit hidden at the time."

Fara sighed in relief and put her blaster back into its holster. She wasted no time as she jumped off the root and ran towards the vulpine, overjoyed in knowing that this had to be the Fox she knew so well. She all but leaped into his smiling form and wrapped him up in a tight hug.

"I guess I passed?" he asked playfully as he strongly returned the affection.

"Yes, silly, you did." She pulled back slightly and looked at him as her smile faded. "I…I didn't know if I'd see you again."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Fara." He frowned. "As it was though, if you didn't send out that homing beacon via your helmet, I don't know if I would've found you."

"Yeah. This swamp looks like it's huge."

Fox released his hold much to her regret and looked around. "How the heck did we get here, anyway? I remember a little when I woke up after falling off the waterfall, but…"

"Are we still continuing on with this mission?" She knew Fox's answer to that question already, but she figured she might as well ask.

"After all of this? Oh yeah."

"Let's get this android's weapon and my backpack and I'll tell you on the way. Andross' base isn't all that far from here."

"Deal."

After pausing only long enough to add another weapon to their arsenal, the pair trudged through the swamp towards their goal, Fara retelling her entire experience after she fell off the waterfall. 


	49. The Last Mile

Another delay, and because of it, a very long chapter.

Redbay - Honestly, I have no idea what I intend to do once I actually get done with this fic. All I know is that I'll be happy once it's all written, uploaded, and done. Will I write again? And if I do, will it be in the Starfox world? Those are both very good questions, questions I simply don't have answers for right now.

* * *

**Chapter 49: The Last Mile**

_How many of those android things does Andross have under his command? I hope that that's the last I see of them. I don't think I could shoot another one of my teammate look-a-likes if I tried. _– Fara

_Thank goodness Fara is okay. The feeling of dread I had when I woke up, surrounded by lizards, was unnerving. Then again, the fact that I escaped, guided by only a momentary homing beacon, was amazing. How much longer will my luck hold though?_ – Fox 

"Hold."

Fox raised his paw as he followed his own order, making sure Fara heard what he said. He thought he'd been hearing something echoing off the trees around them over the last few minutes, but their near-rhythmic tromping through the bog was keeping him from identifying the noise.

"What do you hear, Fox?"

The vulpine peered out into the dimming light and tried to focus upon what he was hearing. While he could tell that there was something out there other than the two of them, the environment itself was so harsh to any noises that trying to pinpoint them was nearly impossible.

Until a very clear shout of "Follow me!" floated their way.

"Andross!" hissed Fox as he recognized the unmistakable voice. "How is he following—"

As one, the pair turned around and looked at the clearly visible imprints they were leaving behind in the mud with every step they took. Fara loudly sighed.

"Yeah." Fox looked around and tried to find a defensible position, but there wasn't anything to hide behind short of the trees that littered the swamp. "How close are we to the base?"

Fara had drawn her blaster and was waving it around menacingly into the gloom. It was clear to the vulpine that she wasn't going to go down without a fight. "A mile or so, maybe more."

"Let's make a run for it. Maybe we'll find better cover, or even our teammates, when we get closer." He just hoped his good fortune would hold out a bit longer.

"Just as poor of a plan that I had." She laughed. "Race ya."

Wasting no further time, the pair ran as fast as they dared through the swamp. Guided by only the fading light and Fara's compass, they passed by lower lying areas covered with water and more trees than Fox could keep track of. He debated on changing their course into the ponds, but the last thing he wanted to do was to swim in the murky water.

All the while, the vulpine could hear the sounds of pursuit from behind him. Even though they were making good progress as far as he was concerned, he knew it wasn't going to be enough.

Before he could consider his next move, the trees suddenly thinned out and left the pair facing a large bed of water. Without thinking, the vulpine veered left and followed the pond's edge. His intention was that he'd shoot back into the trees after a short distance.

He never got that far.

As they approached their goal, at least two dozen lizards, all clad in animal skins and wielding spears, flowed from the trees like water directly towards them. He skidded to a halt and was about to change direction when an equal sized force came from back where they came.

They were trapped.

Fox desperately looked around for a way out of their predicament, but he couldn't find one. He inched backwards towards the water, Fara doing the same. A quick glance told him all he needed to know about her thoughts – she was ready to go down fighting.

And then he saw something that brought a little hope – another of Andross' cubes, hovering a few feet over the lizard's heads. He took aim with both weapons and was about to pull the trigger when the ape's voice caused him to pause. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, McCloud."

"And why not?"

"Because it's only my mental control that's keeping these savages from tearing you to pieces. You're outnumbered about thirty to one, outgunned, and, well, my pets are hungry."

Fox had to fight to maintain his steadfast composure in the face of this opposition. Even from this distance he could see the grin upon Andross' face, as if begging the vulpine to make the first move. A move that could surely lead to his and Fara's death. "What do you want?" 

"What do I want? That's surely the question of the universe now, isn't it? The answer is far less complex, however. I want you two to die."

* * *

Andross laughed as he watched the two vulpines from the safety of his control room. Fox was bravely in front, covering as much of his teammate as possible. Fara on the other hand was trying her best to hide the fear clearly present on her face.

He had paused briefly when Fox asked what he wanted. He was annoyed with his continual inability to simply kill off the pair in his view. Every time he tried, they somehow always escaped his grasp in the end.

And as much as he'd prefer to take one of them alive to see what information he could add to his repertoire, he was not going to fail again.

If he still had access to his Telekinetic Amplifier, he'd crush them like the bugs they were. Instead, his mind-controlled savages would make a fitting, albeit messy, end.

Concentrating on the nearby lizards, he commanded two of them on opposite ends of the line to toss their spears at the Starfox team. While he doubted they would actually hit their targets, he still wondered what plan Fox had. He'd dig into the vulpine's mind and look, but even he had his limits to his mental powers. He instead knew that this would be the best way to force their move. 

And as they reacted by how he thought they'd react, maybe the tables could be turned completely in his favor as well…

* * *

Fara watched as the cube silently hovered in place, the face within laughing with wild abandon. It wasn't helping her worry as far as their situation went. She glanced over at Fox, but she could tell from his lack of action that he was as out of ideas as she was.

She just happened to be glancing at the line of lizards when she noticed one of them rear back and throw the spear he was holding. Her body almost reacted on its own as she jumped into the air and opened fire on the attacking creature. As she expected, her shots were deadly accurate as the lizard crumpled.

What happened next was anything but.

She was getting ready to land when she was forcibly pushed backwards by an invisible force. She flailed her arms in an attempt to remain to remain upright during the course of her short journey.

Luck was on her side as she landed right-side up in what she thought was the pond just a few feet behind her previous position. That luck only went so far, however, as she sank up to her knees in the mire that was hidden underneath the extremely shallow water.

Fear flooded through her as she immediately started fighting to free her legs. As she struggled, she quickly realized that something was wrong. Instead of the relatively semi-solid ground they'd been walking through, the mud all around her was quaking with every attempt she made to move. In addition, despite her muscles bulging from the strain, every inch she gained with one leg caused her to lose two more with the other.

Fara's heart fluttered as she realized that she didn't land in any normal mud.

Instead, she'd been pushed into quicksand.

What mental stability she had shattered in the face of this knowledge. Even though her logical side knew otherwise, all she could think about was sinking away out of sight. She thrashed randomly against the mud, trying desperately to break free of its vice-like grip, but all she did was cause herself to sink even deeper.

As the quicksand oozed up her thighs, she began to lose what little mobility she still had in her lower body. As her struggles slowed, she happened to look up and saw Fox only a few feet away from her. The mere sight of him caused her fears to fade away just enough for her to regain control of her mind.

Fara looked down at her mired legs and realized that there was no way she'd get free without the vulpine's help. Even though she'd stopped moving, the nearby ground was still unstable enough to cause her to sink even deeper still. Left with no other action for the moment, she flipped on her headset and looked at the muddy ground under Fox's feet with worry.

"Fox?"

Her teammate responded via his headset without breaking his gaze from the mob in front of him. "Yeah?"

"Don't…step back…whatever you do."

Now he sounded worried. "Why?"

"The ground…starts to get really…soft."

Fox finally turned his head around to find out what had happened to her. In that brief moment of eye contact, she could see his face run the full gambit of emotions. The ones she saw clearest though were of his fear about the position she was in, and then one of sadness, knowing that their hopeless position had just somehow gotten even worse. "Can you move?"

Knowing that any chance of their survival depended upon her freedom, Fara leaned forward and pulled for all she was worth. As before, her efforts were futile as she tried to free her legs. Her lithe form simply didn't have the leverage needed to break loose of the mire's grasp. Defeated, she looked at the quicksand's edge. Based on how the ground quivered around her, it seemed to be only a foot and a half away from her. But it could've been a mile or even six inches – it wouldn't have mattered with her legs stuck like they were. "No."

"Great." He sidestepped closer to her. "Don't worry; I'll get you out…somehow."

She didn't have a chance to respond before Andross' voice boomed over to them as the cube approached. "I see that Ms. Phoenix has stumbled into one of the many dangers of my swamp. Here, let me help."

Fara gasped as she felt something push down against her shoulders. It was as if somebody was standing on her. She didn't know how Andross was doing it, but the added force caused her to sink to her waist within seconds.

As the mud continued to ooze higher, what little willpower she'd regained crumbled to dust. All she could feel was the mud closing around her like a cage, a cage she wouldn't ever escape from.

She let out an ear-piercing scream, one fueled by her primordial fear.

So wrapped up in her emotions, she only dimly heard Fox roar, "Stop that! Leave her alone!"

"Stop what, McCloud?"

The sound of both of Fox's weapons discharging brought Fara back to reality for the moment. After realizing that the pressure upon her shoulders had stopped, she looked up to see the vulpine aiming directly at the cube with his borrowed firepower. Unbeknownst to her, Fox had fired upon Andross, purposely missing by inches to get his attention.

It had worked.

"Does your pea-brain self realize what will happen if you shoot me? Those lizards over there will kill you. They will eat you. Yes, you'll end a few of their miserable lives, but they aren't afraid of your weapons like you apparently think."

Andross hovered within inches of Fox's face as he continued. "I've seen them eat their own kind before, McCloud. It isn't a pretty sight. As for Ms. Phoenix over there," he paused long enough to move over to where she was, "I honestly don't know if they'll try to save her, or just watch until they get bored with her. Maybe they'll kill her, maybe they'll let her rot."

He laughed as he moved back to Fox. "Either way, I don't really care. You'll both be dead."

Fara's mind raced as she tried to think of a plan. Somehow, she believed the ape in what he was saying – that blasting him would only bring their demise. If they couldn't shoot him though, what could they do?

All she could think about was the mud that had enveloped her waist and threatened to devourer even more of her. She shivered as she felt the ooze touch her fur and fill her pockets with its weight.

Her eyes lit up as she realized that she did have the solution to their problems. She could disable all their attackers in one fell swoop.

It was just under a foot of mud right now.

"Fox, keep him busy," she whispered into her helmet. "I have an idea."

Fara watched as Fox's tail jerked upwards for just a moment before returning to its normal slow swing. Assuming that meant that he'd heard what she'd said, she waited for the right moment to make her move.

"Let her go, Andross," said Fox, his voice echoing through her headset. "It's me you want."

The ape laughed in response. "You are so naïve, McCloud. While your death would be the blow that the Lylat System simply wouldn't recover from, you two have been the thorn in my side for far too long."

As they talked, Fara tried her best to bury her fears over what she was going to do next. After passing her weapon to her other paw, she straightened her right paw and pushed it into the mud as deep as she could. The object of their salvation was inside her pants pocket. She only had to get it.

"But—"

"But nothing. It's apparent to me that you're simply biding your time for reasons unknown. Nobody is going to save you, McCloud." He slowly lifted into the sky as he continued. "Enjoy the last few seconds of your lives."

Fara looked up in shock, her right arm up to her elbow in gooey mud. She was just inches away from her goal, she could feel it. She just needed more time. "Do something, Fox," she whispered.

"Wait," called out the vulpine.

"You're stalling, McCloud."

He took a few steps towards the cube. "I have a proposition for you. A business proposition."

"A business proposition?" The cube changed directions and floated back down to the vulpine. "What could you possibly propose to me that'll save your furred hides?"

Fox then proceeded to say something that absolutely floored the vixen. "I want to defect to your side."

Andross burst out into laughter. "Now that's rich. But…" He quieted and sat there for a few seconds. Fara felt something brush against her mind during that timeframe, as if the ape was looking into her thoughts. "You're serious. And Ms. Phoenix is as confused as I expect her to be over this."

Fara looked on in shock, her goal forgotten. There was no way that Fox was contemplating for even a moment on joining the other side. Absolutely no way. It had to be a trick. Or was it?

"Okay then," continued Andross. "Sell yourself, because I don't trust you one bit. Why would you even consider turning your back upon the ones whom you've protected for so long?"

"As you no doubt noticed when you looked into my head, I still blame Corneria for the things that happened to me over the years. My parents' deaths, my exile…all their fault. That and the system as a whole has become too peaceful, too quiet. I'm a mercenary at heart."

"Why?" cried Fara. She had to find out if this was all a charade. She dearly hoped it was. "Why now after all of this?"

"As I said, I'm a mercenary." Fox's tail shot upwards again as he responded, giving some credibility to the vulpine making this all up. "My life comes before my friendship. And I don't see—"

"You uncaring bitch!" she yelled as she raised her blaster. Even though her shot would've been off had she pulled the trigger, she suddenly found her weapon arcing through the air. At the same time, she hid a smile as her right paw finally grasped what she'd been looking for in the mud.

Her blaster ended up floating in midair right in front of Fox. "And you don't see what?" asked Andross smugly.

"I don't see a way out of this alive."

"Kill her, McCloud."

"What?"

"Kill her, and I'll accept you as one of my own. Don't, and I'll toss you in next to her headfirst for wasting my valuable time."

As Fox moved to put away his dual weapons to grab the one hovering nearby, Fara made sure she had in her paw what she'd been looking for. It was a relatively spherical object, about the same size and shape of a golf ball. It had only one use – upon contact with a solid surface, it would let out a deafening supersonic shriek, one powerful enough to stun anybody who could hear within a 50 foot radius.

In theory, the helmets that she and Fox wore would protect them from the noise. Everybody else, including Andross she hoped, would be knocked out.

After taking a moment to summon her strength, Fara pulled hard on her arm. To her shock, it felt like it was incased in concrete. It wouldn't move at all.

Fara glanced up and looked down the barrel of her stolen blaster. She tried again to free her arm as she pleaded with the vulpine with her eyes, unable to say anything thanks to Andross paying too much attention to her. Despite her best efforts, her arm was still stuck deep in the muddy trap.

"Can I have one of your lizards' spears instead?"

"What for?"

"A blaster is too devastating of a weapon. If I shoot Fara over there, odds are I'll kill her instantly. At worst, she'll be in pain for a few seconds before she dies. A spear, however, would cause her to suffer that much more before her death." Fox laughed. "It's not like she's going anywhere."

As the pair conversed, Fara used her free arm to try to leverage her mired one loose. As she struggled, her motions caused her to sink ever deeper. Finally, as the mud oozed up to her chest, her right arm broke free with a sickening slurp.

"You have a very sinister mind, McCloud."

"Thank you."

The cube slowly turned, apparently watching the lone lizard that walked away from the pack and towards Fox. It wielded a spear in each of its claws, and a third was strapped to its back.

Fara wiped the spherical object she was holding with her clean paw and exposed the white shell underneath. She let out a small smile as she visually identified the item – it was what she was looking for. Wasting no time, she pushed the two buttons necessary on her helmet to defend herself and any nearby helmet wearer from the sonic shock.

Then she leaned back and threw for all she was worth.

The sphere zoomed by Fox and came to a rest a dozen feet away. Upon impact, the device split apart and let out its piercing scream. While all Fara heard was a muted whine from the object, the affects were immediate to everyone else short of the vulpine.

The lizards clutched their ears in an attempt to block out the noise. They quickly found out how futile that effort was as they dropped unconscious one by one onto the mud. Based on the wincing face in the cube, even Andross was affected. Unlike his lizards though, he remained awake.

Now that the threat from the reptiles had been eliminated, Fox paused for only a moment before he took aim and blasted the cube to pieces. Ignoring the sparks and debris that showered around him, he spun around and looked for any threats that might still be standing.

Fara saw it first. "Two on my far right, in front of a tree."

"Got it." He located the lizards and was about to fire when they panicked, dropped their spears, and ran off. Confused, he continued to watch over the unconscious lizards as he asked, "Why weren't they affected?"

"Either they were wearing some sort of protection, which I highly doubt, or those lizards were utterly deaf."

"Deaf?"

"Yeah." The vixen sighed as she finished looking at their attackers and glanced down at the mud encircling her chest. While she'd stopped sinking, it was taking more and more of her self control to keep from completely breaking down. "That grenade is entirely sonic based, assaulting the ears of any attackers, so if you can't hear it…"

"Oh."

"Now, I don't see anyone standing. Do you…think you can come over here and get me the heck out of this shit? Unless you were serious about joining—"

"No way I'd join that ass, Fara." Fox turned around and tried to find a place to stick his teammate's blaster. Failing that, he just jammed it next to the other two as he cautiously approached. "I tricked Andross, but…damn, it's not easy to fill your mind with nothing but lies and hate."

"Good. I was worried I'd have to dig into my bag of tricks for some way to knock you out of the picture too." Fara concentrated for a moment and realized she couldn't hear the muted whine of her sonic grenade. "I don't hear the grenade anymore, so I'm going to turn off our helmet's protection so we can hear normally again."

"Deal." The vulpine came to a stop where the mud started to slope slightly downward to meet up with where Fara was. He looked back and forth as he continued by voice instead of via his helmet. "How long do we have before they wake up?"

"On your average Cornerian citizen, about 15 to 20 minutes. On these lizards, I'm clueless."

"Great." After a few careful steps, he stopped again, this time with his feet just inches away from the quicksand that held Fara firmly in place. "Have a plan?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Just…just get me out of here, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will. I won't leave you there." He ducked down and flexed his muscles, as if he was debating on what he was going to do next. "Lift your arms."

"Why?"

He smiled. "Because if I grab you by your paws, I'm going to pull your arms out of your sockets."

"Oh."

Left with no other options that she could think of, Fara followed his request. Fox ducked down and grabbed her by her armpits. He then shifted his weight and pulled.

Fara gasped at the sudden pain from Fox's attempt to heave her free of her miry prison, but otherwise stayed quiet. She didn't want to give the vulpine any reason for him to stop, as she simply wanted to be free. She wanted to move on her own again. She'd survive the pain.

She grabbed Fox's arms as he continued pulling. She wanted to do anything to help, and that was the only thing she could think of. As the pain increased though, she unconsciously strengthened her own grip. To Fox's credit, he quickly realized this and stopped his attempt, much to her dismay. "What…what did you stop for?"

The vulpine stood back up and rubbed his arms. "Because you have a killer grip, that's why. And you weren't going anywhere."

Tears started to stream down her furred face. She knew she wasn't going to escape. She was just going to sink away, out of sight. "I…I can live with the…pain. Don't stop…please."

"I'm not leaving you there, Fara. Trust me on this."

She was having trouble focusing upon his words. After Fox's aborted attempt, all she could think about was that he wouldn't be able to free her, that she'd be left behind. She was losing control.

Fox noticed this as well. "Fara? Fara, listen to me."

The vixen blinked and tried to clear the water out of her eyes as well as regain her concentration. She couldn't afford to break down, not with her savior so close. "I…I'm here."

"Good. Fara, look, I'm going to need your help. I can't do this myself. You're simply in too deep."

"O…okay." What if she sank in deeper? Would she ever— "Please, hurry. It's getting…hard to think."

"I know." He ducked back down and looked at her almost eye to eye. "I need you to try to move your legs down there. You need to—"

"But I'll sink further!"

"Not if I hold on to you. The mud has too good of a grip on you. You need to loosen it up, or else I'm not going to be able to get you free."

She was going to sink even deeper. The mud was just going to gobble her up. That's all her mind could think. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure what?"

"That you'll hold on."

Fox smiled. "Fara, I promise I won't let go."

"Alright." She looked down at the mud she was about to churn up again after she tried so hard to keep still. She pushed her thoughts out of her mind as best she could. "I'm ready."

Without another word, the vulpine leaned forward and grabbed hold under her shoulders again. As soon as she locked her paws onto his arms, she started to kick against the mud.

It was instantly apparent as to why Fox simply couldn't yank her free earlier. During the time in which she remained as motionless as possible, the mud had settled around her and locked her in place. She grunted as she tried again. It had to work. It just had to.

An agonizing dozen seconds later, she finally felt some movement from her long lost legs. Knowing that freedom was near thanks to Fox's help, she redoubled her efforts. Every inch she gained fueled her muscles that much more.

Suddenly, she felt the once semisolid mud that she'd been standing in liquefy due to her struggles. She gasped as she felt the quicksand attempt to grab more of her body.

Unlike when she was originally pushed in, Fox was there to keep her from sinking. She felt his muscles stretch to accept her weight. "I have you," he said as he shifted his arms slightly. "Keep going. I still can't lift you."

She pumped her legs in an attempt to agitate the mud further. She only moved a few inches with each tug before the mud refused to yield anymore, but each time she hit that limit, she felt the ooze around her softening. She bucked and struggled, kicking her legs as hard as she could, all in an attempt to free her body as soon as possible.

She wanted out. She wanted out now.

"Let me go!" she growled as she fought with every ounce of strength she had. She was going to break free of this crafty trap, no matter the cost.

Suddenly, the pain in her shoulders increased exponentially as Fox started to pull. It felt like she was going to be torn in two. For five horrible, agonizing seconds, nothing happened.

Then the mud let go.

With a sickening slurp, Fox pulled her up to her waist. The two shared a quick smile as the vulpine shifted his weight and continued his fight.

Seconds later, her mud covered hips were exposed. She refused to glance down to see how bad she looked. Instead, she focused her energies on pulling her legs loose in accordance with Fox's help.

As the vulpine rose to his feet, Fara's knees came with him. He paused, panting from the exertion. "Almost there," said Fara as she tried to reenergize him. "One more tug."

He was about to take a step back to finish the extraction when he stopped mid-stride. She felt the reason before he could figure out why. "My boots," she said as she noticed the suction that was holding them firmly in place.

The mud had finally decided to fight back.

Fox responded by pulling harder. It got him just as far as it did before. "I can't budge you," he grunted as he continued to pant for air. "And you're getting heavy."

"It's all this damn mud." She kicked her feet and tried to break them loose, but the mud had too good of a grip on her footwear. "Damn it! Let me go!"

"I could shift my grip so you could unbuckle them. At least—"

"No way am I taking a single step in this swamp barefooted." She looked down at the mud. She was so close. So damn close. "Just…hold on."

"Hurry."

Unable to grab her legs with her paws, Fara leaned into Fox and pulled. She alternated legs; first her left, then her right. Her tired muscles burned from the strain and screamed at her to stop, but she refused to listen to them.

She was afraid of the consequences if she did.

She could feel Fox's grip start to slip under her weight. She was running out of time. If she couldn't get free, she knew she'd drop right back into the mud, sinking as deep, if not more so, as she was before.

That worry fueled her muscles as she focused all her remaining energy on her left leg. If she could just get one foot free, she'd be able to stand on her own, dramatically helping Fox.

The strain upon her face was evident as she closed her eyes and pulled. Her legs quivered like the quicksand around her as they tried to ignore her commands. Despite the pain she was now feeling, she didn't give up. She couldn't afford to.

With a suck-plop that echoed across the swamp, her mired foot finally came free. Mud scattered everywhere as her foot emerged, miraculously missing the vulpine for the most part right in front of her.

But that was only one of her formally trapped feet. The other was still stuck deep within the soft earth. With Fox's assistance, she put her left foot onto the mostly solid ground a short distance away. She then leaned forward and attempted to press her advantage.

The mud burped and gurgled as it fought to keep Fara rooted in place. It was a fight that it lost not too long afterward, as the determination of the pair was simply too great.

Finally, Fara was freed of her muddy prison. She stood there, just inches away from Fox, and promptly burst into tears of happiness. She hugged him with her one relatively clean arm and cried into his shoulder.

Fox simply held her and tried his best to comfort her. "There, there, Fara. You're going to be okay. I'm here."

She blubbered pointlessly as she was so overjoyed to be free. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

The pair stood there in relative silence, ignoring the world as it passed by around them. After a minute, Fox remembered that they were still in the process of escaping. "Fara, we need to go. Are you ready?"

She looked up with a sniff and blinked away her tears. She didn't want to let go of him, but she knew they both had a mission to continue with. That and there was still the issue with the unconscious lizards around her. "No. But I don't have a choice."

"Okay." He stepped back and looked her over. "You're a mess."

Now freed of the mud, Fara realized just how much of the ooze she still had coating her body. From her chest down, all she saw was thick, brown mud, covering every inch of her like a second skin. She felt the sheer weight of her new clothing as she tried to shake some of it off. "Ugh. I need a bath."

He smiled. "You'd destroy any tub by just getting near it. You need a rushing river, or maybe a waterfall."

"Funny." She tried again to dislodge the muck, but gave up. It clung to her almost like glue and it was going to take a far greater effort to clean off than she had time to devote. "Let's go."

Fox looked around for a moment, as if he was deciding upon which way to go, before he took off after the pair of lizards which ran off earlier. On the way, he picked up two spears from the still unconscious lizards and returned Fara's weapon to her. "Follow in their footsteps," he said as they left the clearing they'd been delayed in.

"Why?"

He pointed at the imprints they were following. "We need to hide our direction of travel somehow. Andross will be back, and I don't think he's just going to leave us alone."

"Duh."

The pair moved as fast as they dared through the mud. They knew it wouldn't be long before the lizards woke back up, and at that point they knew they'd need to be as far away as possible. "At least they're heading the right way," said Fara after a quick check of her compass.

"They can't hear, but they have a great direction sense. Go figure."

As they continued onward, the darkness that had been slowly gathering around them started to become a hindrance to travel. It was getting more and more difficult to exactly follow the tracks ahead of them. "Fox, I have good eyes, but…"

The vulpine had stopped and was trying to find where to go next in the gloom. "Same here. Have a light?"

"I do, but we'd still be moving too slowly."

He took a few more steps forward before replying. "Yeah."

Fara accidentally let out a noisy yawn. The day's excursions were getting to her, especially after her fight for freedom in the bog. The setting sun and the weight of the mud still on her weren't helping either. "Too bad you can't climb like I can, Fox. These trees would make a great stopping point."

"Never really learned how. And now wouldn't…wait a second."

"What?"

He came to a stop again and looked at her. "But we can fly."

She dropped her head in embarrassment. How could she forget such a useful accessory? There was only one problem. "Fox, how heavy are you?"

"Uh…180 or so, maybe. I haven't exactly weighed myself lately. Why?"

Fara flipped open the small device attached to the wristband on her left arm. She was thankful it wasn't on the arm she'd jammed into the mud earlier as she fiddled with the settings. "The boots require calibration based on body weight so you don't go flying out of control. I can adjust it while wearing them, thankfully."

"I can see the difficulty then. This tree looks sturdy enough for you?"

She glanced at where he was pointing. As luck would have it, they were standing next to what looked to be one of the larger trees in the area. "Yeah."

While she worked, she suddenly heard the sound of two spears implanting themselves into the trees ahead of her. Her heart jumped as Fox stated, "That was me."

"What was that?"

He pointed at a tree behind him. "I threw my spears away to make it look like the lizards were chasing us."

"Good idea." Another few taps on the device changed the settings to what she was aiming for. She closed it back up as she said, "Time to go."

"What do you want me to do?"

She took a few squelching steps closer to the tree in an attempt to find some ground that wasn't quite as soft as what she was standing in. "Come here and stand on my feet."

Fara could see some hesitation as he approached and finally did as she asked. She guessed that he was worried over what would happen next. "Okay."

"Now grab on to me. Tight."

"Okay."

She smiled as she felt his paws encircle her body. It was something she'd dearly missed since last time they were close. She pushed her thoughts about the vulpine out of her mind as she said, "Hold on."

She reached behind Fox and pushed the button to fire off her boots. To her surprise, instead of the rapid acceleration she expected, all she got was the sudden belching of thick, black smoke from below.

"Problems?" asked Fox.

"Must've gotten mud in the air intake or something. Give it a second." She continued to jam the ignition as there was simply nothing else to try. "Come on—"

Like a rocket shooting into the skies, her boots finally worked as designed. The branches rapidly passed by as they ascended. Having over-guessed their weight, she cut back on the thrust and readied herself for the finer adjustments necessary for a proper landing.

Seconds later, the pair touched down on a sturdy limb about 40 feet above the ground. It offered ample coverage from anybody who looked up from below, in addition to providing plenty of branches nearby to aid in descent. She looked up at Fox's amazed face and said, "We're here."

"Wow. Just…wow."

She smiled. "Impressed?"

"Yeah." He turned around and carefully worked his way to the center of the tree. "When can I get a pair?"

"Never, unless Miyu and Fay can come up with a way to get these to work without roasting the ground every time you use them."

Fox sat down and tried to get as comfortable as he could against the tree's trunk. "I could see that as a problem then." He dropped his legs off the edge of the branch and patted the spot in front of him. "Come, sit down."

"Thanks."

The pair sat quietly and looked out into the nearby trees. Darkness engulfed them as the minutes slowly passed by. Their keen eyesight kept them from being completely blinded as they heard noises approach from somewhere below.

"Andross," whispered Fox.

Fara just nodded as they concentrated on the sounds. It didn't take long before they heard the unmistakable voice of the ape drift their way. His yells were as loud as the dozens of lizards stomping through the swamp.

Eventually they reached the tree they were hiding in. They both held their breaths as Andross made a comment upon finding the spears embedded in the trees below. Instead of investigating however, they hurried onward, apparently thinking that their goal was nearby.

Their ruse had worked.

The silence resumed a short while later, a silence only broken as Fox said, "I'll take first watch."

"No. We're safe up here, Fox, and we both need our sleep."

"You sleep, Fara, and I'll keep an eye on things. I'll be fine." A brief yawn from the vulpine betrayed his true thoughts however.

"Uh huh." If he wanted to stay up all night, that was his prerogative. She was going to get some sleep. "Make sure you brace yourself properly for when you dose off."

"Sure. Sleep well."

"You too."

Fara smiled in the darkness as Fox draped his arms around her protectively. She could get used to this close contact, she mused, especially from the vulpine behind her. It was only a question as to what he wanted to do.

Sitting quietly with her eyes closed, focusing on what little noise she heard from nature itself, she felt Fox's grip slowly weaken. She was concerned at first, until she realized that he was doing the one thing that she needed to do as well – fall asleep. 

Keeping a laugh bottled up inside her over Fox's insistence that he stay awake, she leaned back into the vulpine's fur and let sleep overcome her as well. 


	50. Andross' Base

And this makes 50 chapters. Random thought - I'm nearing two years now in writing this fic (based on the original publication date). I don't know if I should be impressed or not.

FraGmenTd - Thanks for the compliments, and...that must be a really thick binder. I've printed out a few pages before, and even at size 8 (barely readable), that's a lot of printer paper.

Marble Didymus - Yes, I follow that line of thought in this fic. While it's not as simple as the comics make it out to be (the whole 'I had a spare bomb' thing), it's also something I really don't go into much in this story.

* * *

**Chapter 50: Andross' Base**

_Andross is so close to us now, I can feel it. I will kill him for all the hardships he's put my team through. Even if it's the last thing I do. _– Fox

_If there was one thing I could change about myself, it would be my utter paranoia I have whenever I lose my mobility. I know how I got it, I just can't control it. It's such a terrible weakness…_ – Fara 

_What possessed me to give them a second chance?_

That question and many others passed through Andross' mind as he sat in his control room. _I had them right at my fingertips, yet I let my greed get to me. Why?_

He looked away from the monitor that he'd been staring at most of the night as he continued his thoughts. _There's this uneasiness I've felt ever since I arrived. Almost as if somebody was watching over my every move. It wasn't there when I first found this place months ago. Maybe that has something to do with it._

He sighed. _And now I have no idea where the blasted Starfox team hid for the evening. All of this technology around me, and all of it useless in finding four determined people._

He pushed himself to his feet. _But no matter. They'll find me more than ready to take them on, even if I have to do it without my usual compliment of lizard troops._

"Bring me your worst, McCloud. I'm not as vulnerable as you think I am."

* * *

Dawn broke slowly over the swamp. The otherwise bright light was blocked by the overwhelming amount of leaves and branches overhead, allowing only a dull glow to filter to the ground below.

One such beam of light inched its way down Fox's face. He swatted at it in his sleep, as if it was a fly or some other annoyance. It wasn't until it reached his eyes did he finally wake with a start.

He squinted against the light until he woke up enough to realize he could raise a paw to block off the effects of the sun. Now that he could see again, he looked around, his sleepy mind trying to comprehend why he seemed to be up in a tree.

The memories of yesterday suddenly flooded back to him. His brief capture, his escape, the battle against himself; all of these images and more he relived in a matter of seconds. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he now knew why he was where he was.

He glanced down at the top of Fara's head and smiled. Based on how she was laying against him, the vixen had used him as a giant pillow. He could feel her rhythmic breathing from the close contact, and it pleased him to know that she was still asleep, even though he hadn't done his job properly last night of staying awake.

Unfortunately, there was still the mission ahead of them.

While he debated on the best way to gently wake her up, she solved the problem by popping awake on her own. He could feel her respiration speed up and he noticed her stir slightly. Both were a sure sign that she wasn't asleep anymore.

"Morning, Fara," he said in an attempt to hurry things along.

"Hmmm?" She leaned further into him and let out an undignified yawn, raising both paws into the air.

At least that's what it looked like she tried to do.

Her left arm was high over her head, stretching towards the morning light. Her right arm, the one coated in now-dried mud, only rose about a foot off the tree limb they were sitting on.

"The hell?" she asked sleepily.

"What's wrong?"

He could feel her muscles firing as she tried again to lift her arm. She was fully awake now. "My arm won't move."

Fox leaned to one side and looked over her mud-covered body. He had a good idea as to the reason of her plight. He just had to tell her before her fears overcame her again. "Fara, I think I—"

"I can't move my legs." She squirmed and tried to make any headway. "I can't move!"

Fox quickly put his paws on her shoulders and squeezed, reminding her that he was right there. It was apparently too late to stop her fears from resurfacing, but he could limit the damage that they'd cause. "Fara, I'm right here. Calm down."

"But I…I…"

"Fara, look at me."

She grunted as she twisted around. Based on how much she was straining, it was apparent that the mud had dried around her and left her cocooned in place. Either that or she was too tired to accept the extra weight she had on her. Finally, they met each other's gaze. "Help?"

Now that he had her attention, it was time for action. He just hoped that he was right. "Fara, the crap I pulled you out of yesterday was thicker than Falco's sauce last time we let him cook. It's just dried on you. Pretend you're wearing a cast, and try breaking it."

Fara took one last look at Fox, head tilted to one side as she tried to comprehend what she'd been told, before she turned around and gave it a try. He thought about getting up to help, but quickly realized that with Fara right in front of him, he simply didn't have the room to maneuver to a standing position without falling out of the tree.

He looked around the vixen and massaged her shoulders as she hit her right arm as hard as she could. Gasping from the pain of striking a nearly solid object, she reared back and tried again.

On her second attempt, she was far more successful. A faint crunching noise was heard as spider web-like cracks arced outward from the point of impact.

Her cast withstood only one more strike before it crumbled to pieces. Chunks of hardened mud crumpled away and rolled off the tree to splat into the swamp below.

Fara yipped in glee as she waved her now free arm and sent the smaller pieces that were still attached flying. Her fur and clothing were a matted dark brown underneath, but it was a drastic improvement over the syrup-like coating she had before.

"Now for your legs," said Fox confidently.

"I know."

She attacked her legs vigorously at that point, as she knew that freedom was nearby. It didn't take long before she broke her legs free of their confinement. With a grunt, she stood up and tried to brush off the remaining pieces as best she could.

Fox looked her over from where he was still sitting. From the chest down, all he could see was the drab and dull brown from her prior trip into the mud. With a smile, he now realized why she always wore such colorful outfits – it emphasized her shapely body and her natural curves, something that he couldn't see now with her new coloring.

"You're not going to get that off you know," said Fox.

"I've noticed that." She finally gave up and turned towards him. "And another outfit…what are you smiling at?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"Right."

"Fara, I…" He quieted upon noticing the glare she was giving him. "Forget it."

"Uh huh." She craned her head upwards and looked at the upper levels of the tree. "Well, I'm heading up to see how close we are to our goal."

Fox leaned over and looked down. It was much too far of a drop as far as he was concerned, and knew he wasn't nimble enough to climb down. "Shouldn't we head down first?"

She glanced his direction and snidely said, "What, afraid you're gonna fall or something?"

Fox was concerned at Fara's sudden change of attitude. She'd gone from being meek and polite to a battle-hardened warrior in a span of a few seconds. All over a smile. Was she just trying to cover up for her weakness earlier? "No, I'd just like to get down. Is there something wrong with you?"

"I…" Her expression softened. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I want to get outta here. This place is depressing."

"That it is." He was glad to see Fara revert to the attitude he knew so well. "How do you want to do this?"

"Can I burn down half of this swamp in the process?"

He grinned as he knew that this time his facial expression would be appreciated. "It would make a nice distraction, but no."

"Damn." She looked down and carefully worked her way towards the edge of the branch. She came to a stop with the back half of her boots hanging out into open air. She then leaned forward to keep her balance as she said, "Okay, I'm ready. Just don't push me, whatever you do."

"Will do."

Fox approached Fara like before and stood on her feet. He then grabbed hold of her and gave a quick squeeze in appreciation. She smiled back as she reached behind him, and within moments, the pair was in the air.

It didn't take long before they landed safely in the swamp. Fara only waited long enough for Fox to step away before she started her climb back into the tree.

"Not flying?" asked Fox as he watched her ascent.

"No," she replied through her helmet. "I have limited fuel. Besides, you know how well I can climb."

"Good point."

As Fara climbed, Fox looked around the dreary swamp. Short of the many footprints that were still clearly visible in the mud, nothing had changed since last night. He gazed down their direction of travel until Fara's static-lined voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Fox, I'm nearing…top."

"You're breaking up, Fara. I can hardly hear you."

"Must…interference…area."

"Yeah." As a precaution, Fox drew his weapon and flattened himself against the tree. "Hurry down and tell me what you've found out then."

"Okay."

The minutes slowly passed as Fox kept watch of the surrounding area. He was fearful that Andross had returned, which would explain the sudden interference between their helmets. He debated on trying to contact his other teammates, but quickly changed his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was to give away his position if there truly was anybody nearby.

Short of the occasional noise from above, the surrounding area was silent. It allayed his fears somewhat, but he remained on guard for any intruders. He was not going to be caught unaware again.

He was relieved when he heard Fara come down from above. He turned just in time to watch her drop down the last few branches to ground level. "Find anything?"

She nodded. "We almost made it yesterday. Andross' base is nearby."

"Finally, some good news."

"Yeah. We could use some."

"Lead on then."

Fara paused only long enough to get her bearings with her compass before she marched off through the swamp. Fox followed after a moment, speaking his mind. "Fara, any guess as to the sudden interference in our helmets?"

"Other than the obvious – some kind of heavy electromagnetic noise nearby – no. That might explain the issues Pepper was having with the satellite though."

"Makes sense. What about the remote control for the Arwings? Think they'll still work?"

"That…is a good question." She looked over her shoulder at Fox, her face showing signs of worry. "They've never been tested much, so I really don't know. I hope they do though. I don't want to walk back through this."

"Neither do I."

After that depressing thought, the two pilots continued their march without conversation. The relative silence, broken only by the occasional muted curse from Fara whenever she floundered in the mud, lasted until Fox noticed that their traveling conditions were improving. "I think we're nearing our goal."

"Yeah. I almost lose a boot every fourth step instead of every other." She lifted her head up for the first time in as many minutes and looked around. "The trees are thinning out too."

Fox watched as Fara came to a stop a few steps later. She craned her neck upwards and opened her arms wide in the sunbeam she was now standing in. "Missed the sun?" he asked with a grin.

Her response was long in coming, so overjoyed she was in seeing raw sunlight again. "Yes."

"Well, don't spend all day soaking it up. You can do this anytime you want once we finish this mission."

"Yeah, yeah." She turned and looked at him. "You won't let me have any fun."

Fox shook his head and smiled, taking a long look at her glittering green eyes before moving on. He was glad to see her in such a better mood from earlier in the day, especially considering the events that they were working themselves towards.

The pair kept to the trees at that point and used their cover to mask their approach to the base. It didn't take long before they spotted their goal in the distance, rising above the now solid ground like a scar on one's fur.

It was Andross' base.

The large, blue-gray dome rose only two stories into the morning sky, not even topping the smallest of trees nearby. One set of closed double doors faced them, imprinted with a strange, alien looking symbol. Worst of all were at least a dozen lizard guards slowly marching around the perimeter, eyes peering into the trees. Unlike their more savage brethren they encountered before, these lizards were well armed with energy weapons and protected with light armor.

Fox felt Fara push away from where she was holding on to his shoulder for support and move back towards the cover of the tree. After a moment, he followed and happened to glance at her eyes. They held both equal parts fear and excitement. "You ready for this?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be anyway. What are we going to do about those guards? And what's that symbol on that door mean?"

"That's a good question on both counts." He poked his head back around the tree and watched the guards for a few moments before using the binoculars in his helmet to look closer at the door. It had what looked to be a cave painting of some kind of bird on it, flying over a planet. Fox had no idea what it meant, but he had a feeling that Andross hadn't built this building based on that alone. "Have any other tricks up your sleeve?"

"Other than another sonic grenade, no. And these guards are spread out too much for it to be of any real use." He felt her peer over his shoulder again. "That symbol, and the whole building for that matter… It really spooks me out."

That was just what he needed to hear – Fara's intuition saying that there was something wrong with their final goal. "Why? Have you been here before?"

"No way. I haven't even visited Fortuna until yesterday. Something about this place just…worries me. I don't think Andross built this place."

Now even Fox was getting worried, as he had the exact same thoughts as she did. He brushed it aside though, as he had a mission to accomplish. "I feel the same way, Fara. But we have a job to do, so let's wonder about this place once we're back home, okay?"

Before she got a chance to respond, they both watched as every guard in sight suddenly paused, listened to something they heard on their headsets, and took off running towards the other side of the building. "The heck?" asked Fara.

"I don't know, but let's make the most of it. Come on."

The pair broke cover and ran towards the door with their weapons drawn, watching for any enemies that might be hiding in wait. They arrived at their destination with little fanfare, having found no obstacles in their way. There was just one problem.

"Fox, do you have any idea how to open this thing?"

The vulpine stared quietly at the solid stone construction without a clue of what to do. From this distance, he could tell that the symbol was actually carved into the granite and the colors were created as the elements eroded away at the cut out sections. Curious, he took a finger and traced one of the sections, feeling the stone underneath for any variances.

Much to his surprise, the rock reacted, a white light appearing in the outline he was making. He jumped away in shock and the light vanished instantly.

Fara apparently didn't notice the light, but she did comment about him goofing off. "What are you doing? We need to—"

"The stone just lit up."

"What? What the heck are you talking about?"

He made sure she was watching before he turned around and touched the stone again. This time he took his other paw and pressed it against the granite as he made the same outline as before, wondering what would happen if both paws were touching. "See?"

"What's causing that light?"

He continued to draw on the stone, the light following his every move. "I have no—"

"Fox, your other paw!"

He looked over and was stunned to see that a square area a bit larger than his splayed paw was lit up on the stone. The white light turned to an angry red after a moment and some strange characters in an unknown language appeared above it. He jerked both paws away and was rewarded with the lights fading away once again.

"What is this place?" asked Fara nervously. "It's like we're not in the Lylat System or something anymore."

"I don't know, Fara. I really don't know." He looked closely at where the red light was before in an attempt to piece together what little he knew. "Okay, red is generally the universal color for rejection, so I'm guessing my pawprint isn't good enough for opening this thing up."

"So?"

Fox turned to look at Fara. "Why don't you try it?"

"No way." She slowly backed up and looked at Fox as if he was crazy. "No damn way. I am not touching that thing."

He understood her reservations, but now was not the time to let her fears get in the way. "Fara, look – either you try it, or else we're going to have to drag every guard around here to this place. I've touched it twice now and nothing has happened to me. I'm still here."

He could see her thinking through the alternatives, but finally with a huff, she said, "Fine. Nothing's gonna happen though."

"You're probably right. But we have nothing to lose."

Shaking her head, Fara cautiously walked forward and placed a paw flat against the stone. Her other still held her blaster, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

At first nothing happened. Then, like what happened to Fox, the area around her paw glowed white. It stayed that way for a few seconds, prompting Fara to say, "See, nothing—"

Suddenly, the white area turned green and displayed a few different characters above it. As they watched in shock, the stone moved inward then swiftly rose upwards without a sound.

The pair stood nearly speechless, short of Fox's confused mumbles as he knew that his idea wasn't going to work. "How did… Why…"

Regaining his composure, Fox peered inside with both of his borrowed weapons at the ready. He didn't understand what was going on with this building, but he knew that he carried enough firepower to make short work of anything he encountered.

The doorway opened into a large rock chamber, lit by sections of stone that glowed blue equidistant apart all around the room. From where he stood, he could see two hallways, one left and one right, leading out of the room.

He turned towards Fara, who still stood there with her mouth agape in shock. "You ready for this?" he asked quietly.

She remained silent, her eyes glazed over as if her mind wasn't focused on the objective ahead. Worried, Fox reached over and touched her gently on the shoulder. "Fara?"

She flinched from the touch and looked his way in confusion. Moments later, she blinked repeatedly, her eyes focusing on his own. "Yeah, I'm here."

"What's wrong, Fara?"

"Nothing…nothing is wrong." At his insistent and disbelieving stare she continued. "I don't know. It…it's like I've been here before or something. But I haven't. I know I haven't."

Whether she was telling the truth or not, he knew one thing – she was scared. "If there's anything you want to say, then say it."

She shook her head. "No, there isn't. Let's go in."

They walked in with their weapons at the ready, turning around and keeping watch from all angles. As soon as they cleared the entrance, the door smoothly and quietly fell back into place, sealing them in. They split up and worked their way towards the hallway exits after a few words, trying to decide which exit out of the room to take.

Somebody else made that decision for them.

Without warning, a bright blue shield covered all the exits and split the room into two. The pilots turned and looked at each other fearfully as they realized they were now separated from each other.

Fox could see Fara's concern quickly mount and decided to take action. Without thinking, he pointed both of his weapons at the shield and pulled the trigger.

That seemingly simple action almost killed him.

Both shots reflected back at him upon striking the shield. One went wide to his left while the other whizzed by close enough that he could feel the fur on his arm singe from the near miss. He dropped to the ground as they bounced off the opposite wall and came back. Thankfully the shots dissipated after a few seconds.

"Fox!" yelled Fara from the other side of the shield. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied as he jumped to his feet and looked around for an escape route. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," said a third voice suddenly.

"Andross!"

"Yes, you insolent fools, it's me." The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere in the room. "How do you do it? You continue to evade capture and death at every turn! Now you've somehow wandered right through my front door, an entrance that not even a single lizard can gain entry through! How?"

The pilots had no answer to the ape's rants.

"No matter. This base will be your tomb. Say goodbye, as this'll be the last time you'll ever see each other alive."

* * *

Ever since Fara had first seen Andross' current residence, she'd had the most overwhelming feeling of déjà vu. She knew it was unwarranted, as she'd never even visited Fortuna before, but it still had affected her all the same.

But then the strangest things began to happen. She knew before even touching the granite door that it would open to her contact. It was as if somebody had told her it would work. That's why she was so reluctant to touch it in the first place.

And then there was this chamber. The déjà vu continued, although the voice remained quiet. She wondered if she was going crazy, or if Andross was affecting her thoughts somehow.

Nevertheless, when the shields in the room appeared from nowhere, she almost jumped in panic from her lack of concentration. Andross' dreadful voice afterwards didn't help matters any.

Fighting to keep her emotions under control, she looked towards Fox and tried to see if he had any thoughts on his mind. A short shake of his head answered that question all too quickly.

Suddenly, slabs of rock dropped down behind the shields and sealed the pilots further into their tombs. "Fox!" she yelled in panic.

He didn't have time to answer before a strange hissing sound filled her ears. She swiveled around, only to find a green mist spewing out of the walls from multiple locations.

Andross was simply going to kill them both where they stood.

Covering her mouth with her arm, she desperately looked around for a way out. There had to be a way out. There just had to be. But there were no clues forthcoming from the smooth rock walls.

Then, she somehow knew what to do. Like before, something in her mind told her how to lower the shields in the room, as well as inform her that her paw would once again open the doors as soon as that was done.

Not having a clue as to where she was getting this information from, and frankly not caring as long as it worked, she did as it said. She turned and opened fire at one of the blue glows embedded inside the wall near the entrance. A few shots later, the glow flashed and dimmed out.

She turned towards the exit, her eyes watering and her lungs gasping for fresh air. She picked another glow seemingly at random to anyone who might have watched, and fired.

As soon as the sparks flew on her target, all of the gentle blue glows dimmed short of one and the two shields vanished with a pop. She ran forward, coughing violently from the gas, and slammed her paw against the stone, praying the entire time that the door would open. She had little time to live if her mysterious thoughts were wrong.

A few seconds later, a green glow underneath her paw signified that she was allowed access, and the stone door slid upwards into the ceiling. She staggered into the clear air and gulped in giant breaths in an attempt to expel out whatever poison she'd inhaled.

It wasn't until she'd somewhat recovered did she think about Fox. Now in a panic, she tried to find some way back into the room, but the door had closed behind her. Desperately she flipped on her headset, but was rewarded with a deafening shriek in her ears from whatever Andross was using to jam her communications.

Tears streaming down her fur in worry, she took off down the hallway and searched for a connecting tunnel back to Fox's exit from the room. Hallways and rooms opened to her left, but she knew they wouldn't lead her back the way she came.

Finally, when she'd almost given up, she spotted a break in the stone walls to her right. She skidded around the corner and was about to pick up speed again when she was stopped by something she hoped she'd never see.

It was herself.


	51. The Assault

And another chapter out of the way. Random thought - this fic will be fully uploaded before my two year 'anniversary'. About time, no? 

FraGmenTd - There's nothing quite like the cliffhanger, especially when you can't read the next chapter right away. 

Janus - As far as your question goes, you'll find out the answer to that one shortly. And keep in mind that there will be quite a few more 'what's happening elsewhere' moments as the story continues. 

RedBay - Ah, RedBay. Your questions are always so hard to answer. I think I'm going to ultimately blame that one simply on how I've been writing too long on this one story. Word to the wise - never, ever do what I did (taking 2 years to write a whomper of a story). You forget/change too many things, and you let other things just slip on in/by. Yes, you're right. And to answer your other questions - maybe, and as stated in the previous chapter, just your average swamp. Remember how she never had the time to clean herself off, and as Fox assumed - the ten pounds of mud she had on her simply dried around her. 

One final thing (and something I doubt I'll do again) - pull up my Favorite Author listing and go visit Foxmerc. If you happen to be a reader of his excellent stories (or if you're a new reader and fall in love with them), he has a book set in a world of his creation available to purchase over at Zdenekbooks .com (delete the space, as FF is killing it otherwise). It's well worth the read.

* * *

**Chapter 51: The Assault**

_Now I realize why we were given such advanced fighter craft – so we can avoid running around like this. I'm still in good shape and all, but I'll be glad when we're done with this mission. _– Peppy

_While I enjoy the power of the Arwing fighter, there's nothing quite like seeing your enemy die firsthand. Yes, it's more dangerous, but it's a heck of a lot more fun. _– Falco 

"How many on your side?"

"Two. You?"

"Three." A sudden shot from a direction he didn't expect impacted into the tree just inches from Falco's head. "Four, at least!"

Ignoring the shots whizzing past and into the tree he was using for cover, Peppy leaned away from the side he was covering and looked at Falco's aggressors. Finding an opening, a triad of shots dropped one of them to an early grave and sent the others back into momentary hiding.

The hare was about to see how the pair on his side was reacting to their teammate's death, but the flurry of shots that suddenly crashed into his cover told him that he had far more opponents nearby. "Falco!" he hissed, indicating with his paws to find out why he had a dramatic increase of firepower in his direction.

Falco's dismayed look told him far more than his cursing did. "Reinforcements! A lot of them!"

Peppy shrunk back closer to the tree in dismay. After the problems they'd been through since they landed, especially after they were attacked by a four-legged…something as they tried to sleep last night, he wasn't ready to accept the fact that this might be the end of the line.

His teammate wasn't ready, either. He poked a wing around the tree and snapped off a multitude of shots. A short scream indicated that luck was still on their side. But it wasn't going to last forever. "We're screwed if we stay here!"

"I know!" he yelled back over the near rain of laser blasts. Returning fire best he could, he thought through his options.

It didn't take Peppy long to realize that his options were severely limited.

He figured that there were exactly two choices. They could either retreat back into the dense foliage and try to lose or outflank their attackers, or they could stay here and get killed.

Before he could issue the order to retreat, he heard something he didn't expect to hear at all from his teammate. "The door just opened!"

The lack of any visible way to enter the interior of the base had stumped the hare as soon as he saw the stone door. There was no touchpad like he was used to using at the base, nor was there a proximity sensor like he'd seen used in other places. He assumed there was some sort of hidden way to gain entrance, but the number of security personnel prevented him from exploring.

In short, he just didn't expect to see the door open up on its own.

"Anybody coming out?" asked the hare as he continued his defensive fire.

Falco poked his head back around to look closer and almost got it blown off for his efforts. "No!"

Peppy really didn't expect to hear that. He wasn't going to let that advantage pass him by, however.

Especially since it looked like it was going to save their collective rears.

"Charged shot into the trees they're using for cover," he hissed. "Then we make a break for that door."

For once, Falco didn't argue. After a slight lapse in his firing, in which the hare assumed he was thinking, he nodded tersely and changed the setting on his blaster. Peppy wasted no time in following suit.

The muted beep that indicated that the weapons were charged was deafening as they waited with held breaths, hoping that their cover would hold for just a bit longer. Upon hearing the noise, they took only a moment to look at each other, as if wishing the other luck, before they jumped into action.

The bolts of energy lanced out from their blasters and screamed towards their targets. The pilots only waited long enough for the resulting explosions before they broke cover and took off running, spraying the area with their weapons.

Luck was still on their side, as while laser fire nipped at their heels and whizzed by their rapidly moving forms, neither of them were hit. They raced into the large, blue chamber, Peppy only a step behind the normally faster avian, and took cover just behind the opening.

Falco once again poked his head out and once again regretted it as a hail of firepower struck the far wall. He slammed a paw against the wall and yelled, "I'm getting sick and tired of being shot at down here! And how are we gonna close this door?"

Peppy kept quiet as he looked around the doorway, and upon finding nothing hopeful as far as a switch or sensor went, expanded his search around the entire room. Short of a lone exit directly across from the entrance and a multitude of blue glowing blocks embedded in the walls, there was nothing at all remarkable about where they were. "I'm without an idea about the door, Falco. Can we defend this position?"

The avian didn't even try to attempt a counterattack thanks to the continued assault from outside plastering the opposite wall. Instead, he had his blaster leveled and ready for anybody who might come in. "We're better in here than we were outside, but that's not saying much. All it'll take is a grenade to smear our innards onto these walls, and that's—"

The stone door suddenly slammed shut with hardly a sound.

"Did you do that?" asked Peppy.

"Nope. Did you?"

"I didn't do anything."

Falco turned and pointed his weapon at the only exit to the room. "I guess that solves that problem then."

The hare followed suit. "Assuming those lizards have the same difficulties in opening the door that we did, yes."

"Why are you always so technical?" 

"I…" Peppy quieted and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. He wasn't going to be goaded into another argument with his ticked-off teammate. "Let's go."

* * *

The pair moved cautiously down the hallway with Falco in the lead. The avian continued to grumble as they advanced, but it wasn't until they'd passed a few doors that wouldn't open did he finally make his thoughts heard. "We're just being led around by the nose in here."

As much as he didn't want to, Peppy had to agree. Short of only a lone hallway they passed by early on, they hadn't seen another way to travel short of straight ahead or back. "I agree, Falco. This place seems to be one long curving hallway and nothing more."

"If only these doors opened."

"Yes, I wonder what's behind them as well. And then there's the mystery of these lighted blue stones. I haven't seen anything like them before."

Falco stopped at the next light and reached up to touch it. "It's not warm at all."

Now that they've stopped moving, Peppy had another observation. "Do you hear that?"

It took half a minute before he responded. "I don't hear a single thing."

"That's my point. It's quiet. Too quiet. We're inside what looks to be Andross' last stand, and we haven't encountered a single soldier, guard, or anybody since we've broken in."

"I bet they're just waiting for the perfect time to jump us."

Peppy nodded. "That's my worry as well."

"I'm gonna see if this blaster can punch through these stone walls into one of those rooms. We can at least make a stand or something inside of them."

For once the hare agreed with his trigger-happy teammate as he made no move to stop his actions. He hoped the excursion would provide them with a few answers as well as to where Slippy was. Or what happened with Fox and Fara after—

He suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of boots pounding hard on the stone surface they were walking on coming from the distance. After pinpointing that the noise was coming from behind, he hissed, "Falco, stop."

"What now—" To his credit, he noticed Peppy's tensed form, spun around, and then ducked into a firing position on the floor. "How many?" he whispered.

He concentrated and focused upon the muted noise. Unless it was a group running in perfect synchronization, he only heard a lone set of pounding footsteps. "Just one."

"How far?"

"I can't tell. Too many echoes in this place." He raised his own blaster and readied himself for a dodge maneuver incase whoever was approaching was hostile. In these close quarters and absolutely no cover however, he knew it was going to be shoot first or be killed. "They're coming closer though."

Thanks to the constantly curving corridor, the pair could only see about twenty feet in either direction before their vision was blocked. The close range combat they'd be involved in only heightened their tension as whoever it was approached. They stayed silent as well, hoping that they'd be able to get surprise upon their opponent that way.

Based on how Falco raised his weapon, it was apparent he could hear the approaching person. The pilots looked at each other, and after a quick nod they completely focused upon their objective.

Peppy looked down the sights of his blaster and set his aim for waist height. While odds were his shot wouldn't be a killing one because of it, it would have the best chance of hitting no matter what the newcomer did. The sound was getting closer and closer—

And then Fara ran into view.

The hare let out the breath he was holding as she skidded to a halt. Seeing the pair with their weapons drawn, she gave them a quizzical look as she slowly put her paws up. "Uh, hi?"

"By the Creator, Fara, you scared us." Peppy returned his blaster to its holster and he heard Falco do the same. "What happened to Fox?"

She looked down at her feet as she replied. "We got separated when we got in this place, and I've been running around trying to find him ever since."

"And the team is almost back together," mused Peppy. He was concerned over Fox's absence, but he knew the vulpine was more than capable of defending himself. Even though they were deep inside Andross' stronghold. "Find anything out on Slippy?"

She nodded as she looked back up, a grin forming on her face as she pulled out a small card. "I borrowed this passcard from a pair of guards we encountered outside the base. Luckily for us, this guard worked at security."

"And where's security?" asked Falco.

"Well, as I was running, I passed by one of these doors that opened as I neared. I guess this card has some kind of transmitter in it or something, as none of the other ones opened. Anyway, I found a map of this place inside. Security is down near the other entrance, which is where I was going."

"Let me guess – it's off the lone side passage near there, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. How did you know?"

Falco looked over his shoulder at the hare. "I knew we should've gone down there."

"You never said…" Peppy stopped with a groan. This wasn't the place to argue, no matter how wrong his teammate was. Something didn't seem right though. Finding Fara like this holding all the answers seemed to be almost too much of a coincidence. Chalking it up to the luck of the Creator, he continued. "Fara, since you know where you're going, lead on."

"Sure."

Peppy took a good look at the vixen as she passed by. To his eyes she looked exactly like she should – the same helmet that she always wore, the same backpack the rest of the group had, and the blaster she held in her paw was the same as the one he had tucked away. Her fur was a bit roughed up, but that was easily explainable due to any incidents she'd been through. The same with a lack of the spark of life her eyes usually held.

Any further thoughts he had vanished as once Fara cleared the pair, she broke out into a jog without looking back. Peppy hurried to catch up and he heard Falco scamper to do the same.

"What's your hurry?" asked the avian.

She shook her head. "The sooner we rescue Slippy, the faster we can go find Fox."

That matter-of-fact answer left the pair quiet as there was no way to counter that statement without discrediting what she was doing or her goal afterwards. Left in silence, the pair followed her as they sped through the base.

As before, they heard nothing but the pounding of their footsteps as they ran towards their goal. The complete lack of anybody else inside the facility worried Peppy to no end, but there was nothing he could do about it other than hope that this wasn't an elaborate trap they were walking right into. He noticed that it affected Falco the same way, as the few times he looked over his shoulder he found him always glancing at something off to the side, as if he was seeing things.

He never got the chance to ask what was going through Falco's mind as Fara suddenly blurted out, "We're there."

The three came to a halt at what looked like a dead end, albeit a dead end that had three closed doors leading from it.

Fara walked towards one of the doors, passcard in paw. "Now, if I'm right—" As if by magic, the stone door quickly retracted into the ceiling.

Just as quickly, a barrage of laser blasts from inside almost beheaded the vixen. She dove to one side and rolled into the wall as the shots whipped by her head.

Upon noticing Fara's dazed state, the other pilots ran forward and took position on either side of the doorway. Peppy peeked in as he passed the opening and was rewarded with the location of their attacker.

Using a series of paw-gestures that the team had developed on their time on Papetoon, the hare passed on not only the position, but the cover available to the lizard inside. As Peppy snapped off a few random shots, Falco glanced in and found their cover and a plan of attack.

Knowing what they had to do, the pair waited only a moment before they sprang to action.

Falco dove into the room and ducked behind a stone column that dominated the center of the room. As the attacker switched to harassing the avian with fire, Peppy leaned in and unloaded with his weapon.

The results were anything but pretty. Missed shots from the pilots sent sparks flying as they connected with the set of computer terminals the lizard was using for cover. Monitors behind him exploded and sent the creature flying into the center of the room. The battle quickly ended at that point as Falco calmly turned and put a single shot into the lizard's head.

Shaking his head at the mess on the floor, Peppy asked, "You okay, Falco?"

"Not a scratch," responded the avian as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Good. See if you can find a way into the cells while I check on Fara."

"Okay."

Ignoring the smell of death best he could, Peppy left security and found Fara leaning against the wall with her head down. He walked up and lightly touched her shoulder to get her attention. "Fara, you okay?"

She looked up and blinked a few times. "Yeah, I think."

Falco's holler from inside interrupted them both. "Guys, I found it."

That brought life back to Fara as she pushed off the wall. "Coming."

Peppy smiled at the sudden spark of energy from the vixen, as he knew the real reason behind it, and followed. He spotted Falco bent over a short stone column with some kind of glowing lights on top. Balanced precariously above that was a more common looking computer terminal, attached to the lights with a myriad of wires. "Well, Falco, open it up."

The avian shook his head before finally looking over. "I would, but I'm sorta missing Fara's stolen card. And have either of you seen anything so…alien, as this? We've seen Venom's tech before. This…I don't know what the heck this is."

As Fara walked over to supply the needed passcard, Peppy pondered the question. The entire base was of a construction that he'd never seen on either side of the war. The control panels were as alien to him as the lighting was. Either Andross had been developing something on the side, or… "I really don't know what's up with this base. Honestly? It worries me too."

Fara inserted her card into the terminal and was rewarded with a slit opening in the stone wall behind her. It quickly expanded into an opening as the rock silently slid into the ceiling. Afterwards, instead of going inside, she moved over to a nearby panel and slumped over, leaning heavily into it for support.

Peppy grew concerned over the weakened state of his fellow teammate. "Fara, what's—"

"I…I'm fine. Just go get Slippy."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Go on."

Falco only shrugged as the hare looked his way. "She has spunk. She'll bounce back."

After taking one last look at Fara, Peppy followed Falco into the cell. "We'll be right back."

The chamber was nearly pitch black, lit only by a lone dim light embedded into the far wall. Peppy squinted as he looked around for their missing teammate. Finding nothing due to the lack of light, he reached back and was about to grab his flashlight when he heard something he didn't expect.

It was a total of four people breathing.

Falco confirmed what he heard as he hissed, "There's two in here."

Peppy fumbled for his light as Slippy spoke up excitedly from one dark corner. "Falco? Is that you? Are the rest of the guys here?"

"Is Fox in here with you?" countered Peppy. He heard the avian draw his weapon as he found his flashlight and turned it on.

Slippy covered his eyes from the light as he gestured to the person sitting slumped over against the far wall. "It's Fara. She—"

Falco cursed and took off towards the exit, but the Fara that they thought was their teammate outside was much faster as the door swiftly hissed shut. The avian skidded to a halt and paused only a moment before belching out a series of curse words that would've made the proverbial sailor proud.

Peppy was left dumbfounded as to how he was fooled yet again. Aiming the light in Fara's direction, he knew why the android outside had everything that she did when he last saw her – her backpack, blaster, and jacket were all missing. 

"What's going on?" asked a now most confused Slippy as he looked between the pilots.

* * *

Fox ran down the gently curving corridor, still amazed that he had somehow escaped death yet again. Just when he'd lost all hope, desperate to take a breath even though it would've more than likely killed him, the shields covering the door, as well as the door itself, vanished. He ran out with only moments to spare before collapsing to the floor, gasping for air.

He had only two objectives on his mind – find the rest of his team, Fara being first and foremost in his mind, and get rid of Andross once and for all. And woe to anybody who got in his way.

That faith was about to be tested.

Up ahead, the stone hallway branched off into two paths. As Fox approached, debating upon which corridor to take, a scattering of laser fire erupted from the right-hand hallway.

Fox returned fire as he retreated back to where the curvature of the hallway would provide him some protection. Figuring that there would be guards posted at the more important parts of this otherwise strange base, his choice was made. He just needed to find a way through his attackers.

Finding what looked to be a momentary pause in firing, Fox nudged his head out far enough to see his targets. It was nothing more than a pair of lizards doing the exact same thing he was doing as far as his cover went – one kneeling, the other standing.

Now that he knew where to fire, he ducked down low and leaned around the corner, tilting his body so he could bring both of his weapons to bear. He pulled the triggers a dozen times each and ignored the screams the lizards made as his shots flew down the corridor.

Afterwards, he paused in his assault and listened. Nothing but the sound of his own terse breathing reached his ears. He waited a few more seconds and then cautiously moved forward.

A pair of corpses, their blood slowly seeping onto the gray stone floor, met his eyes. Nodding in achievement, Fox gave the bodies only a brief glance before he continued his run. He knew that his goal had to be somewhere nearby. He hoped it did. His luck wasn't— 

A single laser shot fired from somewhere behind him and connected with the back of his leg. As he fell, the only thing on his mind was how the shot must've come from the other hallway that looked so empty before… 


	52. A Hero's End

And yet another chapter for everybody to read. Make your guess as to what my chapter title means now.

Kit - Trust me on this - the amount of words I've already written are more than enough. No way am I going to break the 7 digit number, nor am I going to break the 300k mark. As far as your fic goes though, check your hits under FF's stats - odds are you're getting far more than just two readers. Just nobody is actually reviewing your stories. And thanks for the links (even though you had to fight FF just to tell me about them) - never realized I had fans like that. Kinda cool.

RedBay - While your questions tend to be always hard ones, they're never offensive. So don't worry about hurting my feelings or whatever. Your reviews keep me on my toes.

**Chapter 52: A Hero's End**

_Four out the five members of the Starfox team are within my clutches. Now to finish off the McCloud line once and for all._ – Andross 

"How is she?"

"I don't know. She hasn't been here long at all."

"I'll go take a look."

Groggily, Fara rejoined the land of the conscious. She heard the voices nearby, but she couldn't place who they were or where she even was.

As the memories of what happened to her slowly drifted back, she shifted ever so slightly and realized one thing – she was unarmed.

She remained still as she heard somebody approach where she was sitting. Odds were that whoever it was, they were armed. With a weapon in her paws, she'd be able to take control of whatever situation she'd been thrown into.

"Guys, I think she's—"

The voice sounded like Peppy's, but after running into herself however long ago it was since she was last awake, she wasn't going to take any chances. She tensed up and opened her eyes. Only inches away, shadowed by the flashlight he was carrying, was indeed the hare, a look of surprise forming upon his face as he noticed her snap awake.

Then she sprang into action.

She bent forward and yanked the blaster out of his holster, then threw her weight back and brought her leg up into his groin as hard as she could. As he stumbled back in obvious pain, she lashed out with her foot again, this time sending him sprawling to the ground.

At the same time, her stolen blaster was pointed outward and searching for the others she'd heard earlier. "Nobody move!" she yelled as she spotted Falco and Slippy on the other side of the room. "Put it down!" she added upon noticing that the avian already had his weapon aimed directly at her.

"Drop it!" hollered Falco as Slippy cowered in the corner.

"Not unless you can prove who you are!"

"Drop it before I blow your damned head off!"

"That's enough!" roared Peppy weakly. Somehow he had gotten to his feet and had his arms out to his side to show he was weaponless. "Disarm yourselves before somebody gets killed! We're all friends here!"

"Tell that to the android of myself who knocked me out a bit ago!"

Peppy nodded as a look of understanding came over him. "Now I realize why you're so apprehensive." He looked behind him. "Falco, put it down."

"No way. She's too trigger-happy over—"

"I'm too trigger-happy?

After making sure he had eye contact, Peppy hobbled as quickly as he could to a point directly between the two pilots. "Falco, stay there and disarm. Fara, please, we're who we say we are."

The hare's calm speech was starting to get to her. But after what she'd been through earlier with these clones, she doubted she'd trust anyone again. "Prove it!"

Peppy looked behind him again before continuing. "Fara, Falco has disarmed. If you don't mind, I'm going to sit down. Then we can talk. Okay?"

Fara nodded tensely and waited for Peppy to move out of the way before even the thought of lowering her weapon passed into her mind. As stated, Falco had put down his blaster, but it was still in his lap and ready to use with little warning. Figuring that it was as much trust as she'd get out of the avian, assuming it was the real him, she lowered her arms.

Upon realizing that her borrowed blaster was of the same design she started off this adventure with, and that it wouldn't do anything if she wasn't facing the real thing, she hid a grimace and flipped the hidden switch to charge the weapon. At the same time she said, "Alright, guys, any idea how to prove to me that you're all flesh and blood?"

Falco only shook his head in the near darkness while Slippy finally pulled himself out of the corner he had buried himself in. It wasn't until Peppy said something a few seconds later was a noise heard at all. "I don't have an acceptable answer, Fara, other than the fact that we'll do anything within reason to eliminate your doubts."

Finally, an idea came to light. Fara thought through it before saying anything, and it seemed that it would work. "I have an idea. Let me explain it fully before you say anything though."

"We're ready."

"Think back to when you were practicing on the simulators back on Corneria. Before you'd even taken the Arwings out for a true flight. For your finals, you were told to attack each other. I want to hear from you, without any assistance from anybody else, and in the correct order, how you were shot down and by who. Sound good?"

Peppy nodded and said his thoughts as Falco tried to interrupt. "A good idea."

"Good." Her blaster beeped again. This time around she didn't talk over it, so she knew the others had heard it. "Don't mess up, as this thing is primed to kill." Noticing their silence, she added, "Whoever 'died' first, you're up."

Fara kept her eyes on Falco, or more specifically, his weapon, as if tempting him to use it. She let out the breath she was holding in relief as Slippy started talking quietly. "I…I was the first to fall, by Falco." He coughed, his voice growing in strength as he continued. "There's not much to say about my fight, as all Falco did was just get on my tail and fire until I was destroyed. I couldn't shake him."

Peppy continued. "Mine was the next craft to fall out of the air, but by Fox's paws. While I got the opening salvo on him, he pulled off a few acrobatic moves that completely threw me off. We separated, and before I could find him again, he was stuck to my six until he shot me down."

That left only Falco. "Fox and I blitzed each other for a while, until that chicken turned tail and ran. He knew he didn't have a chance of beating me in fair combat, so the ass brought an entire building down on top of me."

Fara laughed as she flipped off the overcharge on her weapon and looked for a place to stick it, as her holster had been stolen. "Personally, I think that given enough time, Fox would've taken you down in what you call a fair fight."

"Screw you."

"No thanks."

"Just to satisfy my curiosity," said Peppy, "care to tell us what happened during your battle against Fox in the simulator? No offense, I just want to make sure we're dealing with the real you."

"Just by asking the questions that I did you should know that I'm me, but sure. After clashing with Fox for a bit, I had him give chase towards a series of caves that I designed for the simulation."

"That explains that completely unnatural phenomenon there."

She nodded. "Yup. I used it for unforgiving high speed aerial maneuvers. Anyway, as I was showing off more or less, Fox brought down part of the cave onto my Arwing. I booked it out of there and tried to initiate repairs, but Fox got me talking and tracked me down that way."

"Served you right," said Falco snidely.

"Go turn into someone's dinner."

"Enough," interrupted Peppy. "What happened to Fox? Is he okay?"

"Last time I saw him, yeah." Feeling how dusty and dirty she still was after her prior adventures, she tried to brush herself off once more as she went over her story. She glossed over her journey through the swamp, as she didn't want to relive those memories again, but she told them of most everything else.

Falco's flashlight briefly passed over her and then returned to where it was laying by his side. "Why does it look like you've taken a dirt bath?"

She shot him a dirty look. "Don't ask."

The avian looked like he was going to continue, but Fara reacted by reaching for her weapon. He took the hint and kept quiet at that point, as she was in no mood to discuss.

Instead, Peppy pushed himself to his feet with a groan and said, "One question, Fara."

"Shoot."

"Did you happen to glean any information as to how to open any of the doors in this base during your time here?"

Fara took a deep breath and stayed quiet. She'd only brushed the surface as to how she'd entered the base, as the reason still didn't make any sense to her. She didn't know how much to tell them either as it still spooked her out. Especially the strange feelings she'd been having ever since she got here.

As she expected, Peppy noticed the sudden silence. "Fara, what's wrong?"

She sighed as she came to the conclusion that there was no hiding from the inquisitive hare. "Well, that's the strangest thing. The doors here, at least the ones near the entrance, seem to be based upon the same touchpad technology we use at the base. Just that you can touch the door itself anywhere."

"So why the hesitation?"

"We found this out as Fox accidentally had his paw splayed upon the door. Some kind of strange letters or something appeared on the stone in red. When I tried it, the letters were green and the door shot open for me."

"That's…strange."

"No kidding. This whole base is screwed up."

Peppy closed his eyes in thought for a few seconds before he looked Slippy's way. "Slippy, have you seen how any guards have come and gone while you've been here?"

The toad was long in answering. So long in fact, that Peppy had to repeat his name to make sure he was with them. "The…the door just opened from their end when they wanted in. Andross normally followed them in, and when he did…I…I…"

Fara watched her teammate with great concern. While he was the quiet type, she never remembered him to act like this. She unsteadily rose to her feet and walked over to him during the silence. "Slippy, what's wrong?"

He finally noticed the attention and gave a brief weak smile. "Andross…he'd walk up to me and give me this funny look, and then…he'd be in my mind."

The pilots gasped in shock.

"I…I didn't know if he'd find anything, or if he was searching for something…as he always kept coming back. I'd fall unconscious sometime during whatever he did and wake back up later. I tried to fight him, but he was just too strong. And he just kept coming back…"

"You poor thing," said Fara as she kneeled down next to him and took him up in a big hug. She couldn't even imagine the hell he must've been through. "You'll be okay. You're with us now."

"And how much help are we exactly?" asked Falco. "Incase you've forgotten, we're stuck here inside this jail cell of an absolute nutcase. Unless you have any bright ideas."

Slippy looked up and nodded in appreciation as Fara patted him on the shoulder and stood back up. As she looked around the room, she first noticed Peppy standing there with his mouth still agape in shock. She figured it would be the exact same reaction that Fox would give given the situation, so she paid him little heed as she continued turning.

She spotted what Falco was gesturing at only moments later – the one and only exit to the room, currently sealed shut and covered with the same energy field that she encountered earlier. The rest of the walls weren't shielded, but they seemed to be colored differently than the hallways she'd ran down before. Not sure as to what that meant, she asked, "What have you tried?"

"Not much. We'd only been tossed in here for a few minutes before you woke up." He pulled out his blaster and took aim as he continued. "I figured that we could blast our way—"

"No!"

Startled by Fara's sudden and unexpected yell, Falco accidentally pulled the trigger. Fara dove to the ground and ordered everyone to do the same as she curled up and tried to make herself as little of a target as possible.

Overhead, the lone shot ricocheted off the shield and came screaming back towards the avian. Only by pure luck did it miss as it struck the wall behind him and bounced off once more.

Seconds later, she finally heard the bolt dissipate against something. Feeling no pain, she was about to ask if everyone else was okay when Peppy beat her to it. "Is everyone okay?"

"Son of a bitch!"

Fara had to laugh at Falco's remark. Then again, she expected nothing else from the foulmouthed avian. She tiredly pushed herself to her feet as she replied, "I'm fine."

"Same here," added Slippy.

"Good. And somehow, our luck continues to keep us alive through another mishap."

"Mishap my—"

"Quiet."

Fara shook her head as she listened to Peppy and Falco bicker back and forth. She found it amazing that such diverse personalities could work together so well in the end.

But now wasn't the time to ponder. She took a look at the shielded exit and wondered how they could bring it down so she could touch the door and see if it would open for her like the others. Unfortunately, her mysterious inner voice was staying quiet this time around.

"Anybody have any ideas?" asked Peppy after finally quieting the avian.

An idea formed in Fara's head. It was a long shot, but it was better than doing nothing. Especially with Fox out there all by himself. "I do."

"As the saying goes then – I'm all ears."

Fara debated on making a joke on the ears statement, but chose otherwise as she said, "We know we can't use energy weapons against that shield, but I'm wearing what's basically a jetpack but on my boots. Puts out quite a bit of flame. Assuming I have enough fuel still in them, I might be capable of overloading that shield. Sound good?"

"As long as I don't have to shoot at that thing, I'm game," said Falco. 

She took that as an acceptance from the rest of the team. "Good. I'm gonna need your help on this, so let's get cracking."

* * *

As Fox fell, his body instinctively reacted and flipped right side up as he came crashing to the stone floor. Ignoring the pain from multiple sources, he unloaded his weapons back down the hall and struck an overconfident lizard several times in the chest.

As the creature collapsed from the now smoking wounds, Fox spotted another lizard bringing his weapon to bear farther down the hallway. He was about to fire, but was stopped by a scaly voice from almost directly behind him. "Don't move."

Fox kept his weapons still and looked up into the face of what he assumed would be either his captor or killer. As he figured, there was a lizard standing just behind him with a gun pointed straight at his head. At this range, if he fired, he wouldn't miss.

He looked back down across his stomach at the lizard taking aim from the other direction and sighed. Feeling the adrenaline rush from earlier fading, he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Just die."

Then, as if to complicate matters, the lights went out.

Fox wasted no time in rolling to one side as both lizards fired. He could feel the heat of the ionized blasts striking the floor just inches away, their shots lighting up the otherwise pitch dark hallway for a brief instant.

His back slammed into the wall as he returned fire with an arm pointing in either direction. The constant flashes of light from their weapons blinded the pilot as laser fire whipped by him from both sides.

Finally, he stopped firing. He could feel the heat from the overused weapons and he thought he could see them glow in the darkness. Other than that, his vision was nothing but streaks of light.

What he could hear, or the lack thereof, was far more important. Short of his own breathing, he couldn't hear anything. He hoped it meant the same thing as it did before.

Then the lights came back on.

He jerked his weapons up towards where the lizard loomed over him, but dropped them just as quickly as the creature let out a groan and toppled backwards onto the floor. A similar noise from the other direction told him that somehow he'd dropped both of his targets.

Fox rolled onto his back and calmed his breathing and racing heartbeat. Once again he'd cheated death. Once again he'd fight on for another day.

But what had made the lights go out like they did?

Not able to even make a guess, he pushed himself to his feet. Or at least tried to. As he put weight on his right leg, the one that had been shot, he yelped in pain and crashed back to the unforgiving stone floor.

He cursed and turned around so he could see the extent of his injury. Finding nothing short of charred and melted leather where the back of his boot was, he pulled it off with a grimace and looked at the extent of the damage.

The prognosis wasn't very positive.

On one hand, it seemed that the boot absorbed a good percentage of the blast. However, it didn't stop enough, based on the amount of blood he was losing out of the wound.

He crawled forward to the nearest lizard and began tearing the creature's clothing into long strips. Knotting them together, he used that to fashion a rudimentary bandage and wrapped the whole thing tightly around his leg.

He winced in pain as he tied it as tight as he could and hoped the pressure would stop the bleeding quickly. Being alone as he was, lost somewhere inside Andross' base, any disadvantage could be his undoing. And this was one heck of a disadvantage.

After admiring his handiwork for a moment, he pulled up what was left of his boot and tried again to get to his feet. He found that while he could put weight on his injured leg, the dull pain he felt in doing so made him want to sit right back down. But at least he could stand and walk.

Fox gathered up his weapons and proceeded to slowly work his way down the passageway. His instincts told him that these lizards had to be guarding something, based on the utter lack of them everywhere else.

Was it the rest of his team? Or was it Andross? He suddenly became worried as to the condition of his teammates, especially Fara, as he continued onward. What had happened to her after they'd been separated? Did she even make it out alive like he did?

His tension mounted as he plodded down the hallway. The silence, short of his own footsteps echoing off the stone walls, didn't help matters either.

He kept track of how far he had traveled by the number of lights he passed. He kept telling himself that he'd make it to another light before stopping, but then he'd say the same thing and continue to move forward. It kept his mind off of the pain he was in, as he knew that if he gave into it, he wouldn't be able to get back up on his own again.

Exactly seventeen lights later, he heard something else in the distance short of his boots hitting the floor – weapons fire.

After a brief check to make sure he was ready for combat, Fox forced himself faster. The pain was all but pushed out of his mind as adrenaline flowed through him once more.

But who was fighting? Was it his team, under fire? Or was it the approach of even more lizards who wanted his head?

He was about to find out.

The lights continued to pass by as he advanced, but instead of the same empty hallway he'd been following for far too long, a lone doorway opened to his right. And if his ears were to be believed, this room was the source of the continued noise.

He approached the entrance cautiously and poked his head in after waiting a moment to see if any accidental shots flew out. He suppressed a gasp as he spotted his nemesis, his tormentor, his rival, standing there in the middle of the oversized room.

It was Andross.

Even though he was currently engaged in combat, the ape stood tall and fearless of the situation he was in. He was dressed in a lavishly detailed black robe that covered all but the bottom of his boots. Upon his raised arms was some kind of oversized bracelets that allowed him to launch blasts of energy. Each shot left sizeable scorch marks on the far wall, and based upon the debris that was accumulating on the floor, was actually eating into the stone.

But who was he shooting at?

Andross' side was to him, so he hadn't been noticed yet. Taking advantage of that opportunity, he quickly scanned the rest of the room. Four carved columns were equidistantly placed in the large chamber, rising up what looked to be two stories high before they met with the stone ceiling. There was another entrance to this room on the exact opposite wall, making it seem like this room was the center of this base for reasons unknown.

Fox followed Andross' shots to one of the pillars. Exposing himself a bit more in the process, he could see that there was somebody using the column as a shield. Based on the rate that it was being hit however, it wouldn't last long. And then he saw who it was as they ducked back after taking a few shots.

It was Fara.

"Fara!" he called out suddenly before he realized how stupid it was for him to give up his position.

Both Andross' and Fara's head turned his way. Hers showed happiness at seeing him again while his showed nothing but contempt and hatred. The ape paused in firing and aimed one of his arms in Fox's direction as he said, "So we finally physically meet face to face. Too bad for you it won't be a lengthy encounter."

And then he resumed fire.

Fox made a split-second decision to enter the room and defend Fara at all costs. His leg screaming as he pushed it into action, he ran for cover behind the closest pillar. He could feel Andross' shots sear the tips of his fur as he ducked and weaved. Returning fire wasn't even an option while he was in the open, as he knew it would take only a single shot to get close before it was all over.

Luck was with him still, as between Fara's counterattack and his maneuverability, he emerged unscathed short of some burnt fur. He rested against his pillar and looked Fara's way. Her smile of appreciation was all it took for him to get revitalized for the battle ahead.

And then Andross changed his tactics.

As Fox watched, the ape concentrated his fire upon the column Fara was using as her protection. She cowered back and yelped in fear as Andross' shots rapidly chipped away at the stone. And with his occasional planned miss to either side, it kept her completely pinned down.

Once again Fox spun into action. He leaned out and opened fire as fast as he could. His aim was true as shot after shot struck home, but it did no visible damage as he seemed to be protected via some sort of shield that briefly glowed blue with every hit.

It did draw Andross' attention however, just not in the way Fox wanted. Relaxing his fire for only a moment, he yelled, "Your pitiful attempts to stop me aren't going to work, McCloud! You will have the honor of watching your female companion die before you get the same fate!"

Plans and options raced through Fox's mind in a panic as he moved back under cover and watched Fara's position continue to be eaten away. Those same plans were tossed out as quickly as he thought of them. Until he finally found one that gave him just a little bit of hope.

He had to become a better target.

Hoping that Andross would focus on him given half a chance, he prayed for the best and simply stepped out into the open towards Fara. He knew that while his mobility was shot thanks to his injury, his reaction time was still as excellent as always. He'd dodged Andross' fire once. He could do it again.

But could he do it from a standstill? That question floated through his mind as he raised his weapons up and began firing.

It didn't take long before Andross eased off and turned his attention back towards Fox. The vulpine thought he looked impressed as he brought one arm around to track his slowly moving form as he continued to inch outward. "Andross, I know it's me you want first!"

Andross laughed as Fox stopped firing and readied himself to move. "Do you have any idea how hopeless your position is right now? The exits are sealed, your team is missing, and your stupidity is only going to bring your beloved a few more seconds of life." He paused as he looked down. "And I see the great McCloud isn't as indestructible as he thinks he is, either."

Fox could feel blood dripping down his leg. He had a feeling that his excursions would've been too much for his simple bandage, and based on how it pooled upon the stone floor, apparently he was right. Left with nothing to say, he only made a quick glance to confirm what Andross had said about the doors before he crouched slightly and resumed firing.

"Die!" roared Andross as he whipped his other arm around and returned fire upon Fox.

The vulpine pushed off with his feet and jumped back towards cover. Time itself seemed to slow as he saw shot after shot fly past his arcing form. Somehow his move had surprised Andross, at least to the point where he'd escape relatively unscathed.

Or so he thought.

He somehow saw the blast moments before it was going to rip through his right shoulder. He responded by twisting his body in a desperate attempt to get out of the line of fire. But he knew it wouldn't be enough.

Fox held in a scream as the heat from the near-miss plasma burned a swatch of clothing away on his upper arm. Underneath, he felt his fur char away and the skin blister from the molten fire that missed him by only inches.

His once semi-graceful jump turned into a crash onto the stone floor as time resumed its normal pace. He skidded to a halt and miraculously found himself behind cover, right in front of Fara.

He forced himself to his feet and leaned up against the column before he checked himself over to see how badly he was hit. Looking at his shoulder with trepidation, he found that his injury felt far worse than it actually was. Short of losing more fur than he would've liked and a sizable surface wound that would take Cornerian medical technology to heal, he was in relatively good shape.

"How is it?" asked Fara over the resounding din of the constant blasts from behind.

Fox looked her way and gave her a brief once-over. She looked to be clean and unscathed, at least for the moment. "I'll live." He flexed his arm to show her. It stung to do so, but thankfully it still worked. "Looks bad, but the arm works. Any ideas?"

Fara shook her head in dismay. "Nothing at all."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear. "We'll think of something. Come on." Seeing her nod, he looked around the corner and resumed firing.

As before, his shots were just as ineffectual. It seemed that Andross was protected via a personal force shield, extending about a foot or so around him. Out of curiosity, he aimed towards the floor underneath him. Apparently his thoughts were correct, as his shots struck the stone without being deflected.

That had to be useful somehow in defeating the ape. He just didn't know how yet.

As he continued firing, something began nagging him at the back of his mind. Although he was still shooting vigorously, Andross had grown quiet. In addition, he couldn't see any additional firepower coming from the other side of the column.

Fox suddenly froze as he realized what was wrong. The Fara next him was dirt free.

And he knew that there was absolutely no way that could've happened inside this base.

In a move that more than likely ended up saving his life, he twisted around and faced Fara just as she spun to give a roundhouse kick to the back of his head. Instead of killing him, the blow was somewhat deflected by his raised arms, and he went flying towards the entrance of the room that he used.

Stunned from the force of the kick, he lay there and listened to the maniacal laughing of both Andross and Fara. Desperately he forced his body to look for his missing weapons, as they'd gone tumbling once he'd fallen to the floor.

Somehow, one of his blasters had ended up just a foot away. His arm flopped around until he grabbed it and brought it up to his chest. He now realized that he wasn't going to get out of this situation alive, but he'd be damned if he was going to take it lying down.

"Kill him!" roared Andross.

The android Fara smiled and advanced slowly towards the vulpine. Using the last dregs of his energy, he opened fire upon her and tried to crawl out of her reach.

As exhausted as he was, Fox's shots were still accurate. His shots ripped through her clothing and scorched her fur. A few even pinged off of her head.

But as he expected, it was all for naught. Fara just shrugged off the blows and continued to come closer.

She stopped only when she was right in front of him. Fox tried to get to his feet at this point to better defend himself, but his body wouldn't respond.

Fara leaned down and picked him up via his neck and swatted away his useless gun with her other paw. The noise of the weapon as it clanged off the stone floor somewhere nearby was a blunt reminder that his life was about to come to an end.

Fox hung there limp as she grinned, as if debating what to do with him. After a few seconds, she finally decided.

Fara tossed him straight up into the air like a rag doll and then reared back and clasped her fists together, as if she was wielding a baseball bat. When Fox came back down, she swung around and connected directly with his stomach.

The vulpine flew through the air from the smashing blow. His flight was abruptly stopped when he slammed right into one of the room's columns.

He fought to take a single gasp of air as his vision dimmed from the pain. Based on the fire he felt inside him, he'd broken a rib or two from the collision, if not something worse.

The only thing he could do was weakly bring up his head and watch blurrily as his aggressors moved closer to him. His body had finally failed him. The inexhaustible energy and motivation to succeed had been wiped from him.

He had lost.

"How does it feel, McCloud?" asked Andross. He could barely hear the words from his body screaming in pain, but he made himself do so. "This is the end for you. I'll make sure your team suffers in endless torment for your failure." He then turned and walked away. "Finish him."

Fox looked up at the android Fara and thought only of the vixen that it represented. He now knew, on the brink of death, what he always wanted to say to her. Fara, I love you. I always did.

His vision dimmed further as the android towered over him and blocked out the nearby light. He morbidly wondered how she planned on killing him, as he knew he couldn't take another blow like the ones he'd sustained before.

Instead, something completely different happened.

As she was reaching down to grab hold of him, a bolt of energy screamed from where the entrance he'd used was and slammed into the android's head with deadly effect. The robot's cranium exploded into a brilliant array of sparks that sent debris showering onto the vulpine below.

Shielding his eyes, Fox traced back the origin of the shot. Standing in the doorway, with her blaster still steaming slightly from use, was Fara. The real Fara.

Fox was overjoyed and stunned to see Fara once again, especially after he'd finally given up. That joy was not to last as things started to get very hectic once more.

"You!" roared Andross as he swung around to witness the carnage of yet another of his androids. "It's always you or that damnable McCloud who is constantly getting in my way! How do you keep doing it?"

Fox felt hope fueling his muscles once again. As Andross talked, he pushed himself to get the android's blaster and crawled around the column that had become his resting place. It still hurt to breathe, and despite his greatest efforts he could hardly move, but he still would find some way to be useful in the upcoming battle or die trying.

Andross began firing just as he got behind cover. Looking up, Fox saw that he concentrated his fire upon the doorway where his team was. He briefly saw all four of his friends before they dove out of sight.

Realizing that his paw naturally gripped his acquired weapon in a familiar hold, he looked down and was surprised to find that he was holding one of the blasters he started the mission off with. He only wondered for a moment how the android acquired one of his team's weapons before he flipped the hidden switch to the charged mode.

Now he had some significant firepower at his command. He just didn't have the slightest idea what to do with it.

As his weapon beeped, a noise he barely heard over the carnage around him, he debated upon the effectiveness of letting loose against Andross. There was a slim chance that he'd be able to punch through the ape's shielding. Maybe his natural luck would—

Shoot the columns, Fox.

The hell?

Shoot the columns.

Fox looked around in confusion. Short of Andross, there wasn't anyone else nearby who could've said that. But the voice was crystal clear, almost as if somebody was talking in his head or something. It sounded friendly enough, and it even seemed familiar to him. The only logical person it could've been then was Peppy, but it wasn't him. But the male voice still seemed familiar to him somehow.

He peered around the column and saw that Andross was advancing towards the exit. If he got out into the hallway where there was no cover at all for his friends, he knew they'd get annihilated.

It was an all or nothing gamble. Trust the unknown voice or risk getting wasted if he garnered any more of Andross' attention?

Shoot the columns, Fox. Trust me.

He didn't know who or what that voice was, but it was insistent. As his blaster beeped again, he made his decision.

He fired at one of the stone columns.

The bolt of energy almost jumped out of Fox's gun and streaked precisely towards its target. It connected with the upper part of the column and caused an explosion that sent stone and other debris hurtling through the air.

As the smoke cleared, Fox was shocked to see a dark blue electrical current leap from where the stone bluntly ended to where it started again. It was the first time that he'd seen anything resembling the technology level of Corneria since he'd arrived.

His weapon beeped again and he wasted no time in letting loose with another shot. This one caused the exact same damage, except with another pillar. Sparks of energy jumped between the two columns occasionally as well.

He came to the conclusion that this room was apparently the main power generator for the entire base. He didn't know how it worked, and frankly he didn't care. Based on the reaction though, he guessed that this whole room might explode if he took out all four columns.

Andross apparently realized this too, as Fox noticed he had stopped shooting and was quickly coming his way.

He only had seconds to shoot a pair of pillars before Andross arrived, and he had no way to hit the one he was leaning against from his angle. That meant that there was only one thing he could do. He reached up and tapped his helmet communicator. "Fara, you there?"

"Fox? What—"

"Not now." He struggled to keep talking thanks to his injuries. "Shoot a charged shot at the pillar I'm leaning against and then run. Got it?"

She was hesitant as she responded again. "Shoot the pillar and run. Yeah. Why?"

He again ignored the question. "Good. Fara…I love you. And I'm sorry." Fox killed the conversation before she could say anything as Andross had rounded the corner and was bringing his weapons to bear. He just hoped she would follow through with his orders and not try to be the hero instead.

Fox aimed and pulled the trigger one final time.

His shot screamed past Andross' imposing form and struck the upper part of the column. The stone shattered from the blast and once again went flying through the room. He watched as a few small pieces disintegrated against Andross' shield and he felt others burrow their way into his fur. He ignored the sparks of pain and instead looked down the barrels of the ape's weapons.

"Goodbye, McCloud."

Before Andross could fire, Fara followed through and attacked the column as ordered. There was a deafening crack from above as bolts of lightning arced from pillar to pillar, creating a lightshow more brilliant than when he last took down a capital ship in his Arwing.

Fox looked up and smiled weakly as the room began to tremble. His theory seemed to be correct. Shooting the columns as he'd done had started a chain reaction that looked like it was going to destroy everything in this room, if not the base itself.

If he was lucky, Andross would go down in a blazing inferno of energy. Unfortunately, so would he.

And then Fox's world dissolved into nothingness. 


	53. A Love Lost

One more chapter down. Is it the last though? Read on to find out. 

Josie - Thanks for the kind comments. Am I professional quality though? Maybe with a lot of hard work, it's a possibility. As of right now though - no. Heck - I still look upon the first 2/3rds of my story with a grimace. 

FraGmenTd - As you can see below, it's not quite done yet. Thanks for the kind comments though. Glad to see it's a great story in the eyes of the readers. 

RedBay - Fay's visions are a very strange thing. And she hasn't been wrong, yet. As far as your comment about Andross though... Looking back, it does seem that he's lost some of the 'edge' he used to have from the beginning. Almost as if the team has crushed his will to slaughter them all. An interesting thought.

* * *

**Chapter 53: A Love Lost**

_Did…did Fox say what I think he said to me? Did he really say that he loved me? But what did he mean by being sorry? _– Fara 

"Fara, you there?"

Fara was ecstatic upon hearing Fox's voice again. She'd grown extremely worried that she'd never see him again as they'd traveled through the base. Especially after following what looked to be a blood trail since the last intersection. "Fox? What—"

"Not now. Shoot a charged shot at the pillar I'm leaning against and then run. Got it?"

His voice sounded strained to her ears, as if he'd been severely injured somehow. If it wasn't for the fact that she had no idea where Andross was with his superior firepower, she'd leap in right now and run to his side. "Shoot the pillar and run. Yeah. Why?"

"Good. Fara…I love you. And I'm sorry."

She stood there, utterly stunned over what he had just said. After all of this time, he finally admitted his true feelings towards her. And she knew she felt the same way towards him.

Falco snapped her out of her daze as he asked from the other side of the doorway, "What did Fox just say?"

"N…nothing. Just to shoot the pillar where he's at and run."

"Did he say where Andross was?"

"No."

They both paused as they heard the unmistakable whine of a charged up blaster shot. Fara looked towards the wall where Andross' shots had practically melted the stone before she shook off her fear and looked into the room.

Bolts of lightning were jumping from column to column from the exposed sections of stone. She looked on in awe for a few moments until the beeping reminder of her gun brought her around.

The closest pillar was the only one out of four that was still fully intact. Facing away from her, she could see Fox's legs poking out and a splattering of blood as well. Her heart jumping over his possible condition, she restrained herself from running in and followed orders.

Her weapon struck like the lightning that was flying throughout the room. The upper part of the column crumbled to dust from the power of the blow and allowed the energy within to add itself to the dance of electrical forces going on around it.

Within seconds, the bolts of lightning began to combine and started arcing towards the stone walls. Fara covered her eyes from the near blinding light and was about to rush in for Fox when she heard a deafening crack from above.

"Falco, Fara!" roared Peppy from behind her. "Cave in!"

Instead of getting out of the way, Fara reacted by simply looking up. Cracks spider-webbed across the ceiling and smaller pieces of stone began to fall to the floor. It wasn't until the cracks grew exponentially and the entire hallway began to shake did she even think of moving.

Thankfully for her, Falco's mind was more on self-preservation. She was suddenly shoved aside and carried for a few feet before they both collapsed to the ground.

Moments later, the roof caved in and buried the hallway in front of the door under six feet of stone and rubble. Dust and powder raced down the hallway and coated the pilots in its grime. A few streams of sunlight beamed in from the now missing ceiling as well.

Fara looked back through the debris and choked back tears. "Fox!" she called out as she scrambled to her feet. She was about to run forward and try to find a way through the rubble, even if she had to dig with her bare paws, when she felt somebody grab her from behind around the waist. "Let go!"

"Fara, no." The calm voice from behind belonged to Peppy.

She squirmed to get free, but the hare only adjusted his grip to keep hold. "Let go of me!"

"I can't do that, Fara."

How could he not let her try to save Fox? The realization that the base was crumbling around her hadn't hit her yet – all she thought of was the vulpine trapped somewhere past the debris in front of her. Her own safety be damned. "Let me go! Fox is in there!"

Somewhere behind her, she heard another series of rumbles. She also heard Falco try to yell some sense into her. "This entire base is coming to pieces around us! We can't stay here!"

"And we can't leave Fox behind! He's just through all that mess!"

"How are we going to get through that? Shoot it? Dig?"

Fara screamed in frustration and continued her struggles. Failing that, she reached up and tapped her communicator. "Fox, are you there?"

Static.

"Please answer, Fox…"

Static.

"Fox…you have to be alive…"

Nothing but white noise continued to fill her ears.

She dropped to her knees as tears began to stream out of her eyes. Fox had to be alive. He just had to be. But now… "He…he just told me he loved me…"

Falco groaned. "Son of a…"

Fara felt somebody pry her blaster out of her paws. She let whoever it was do it, as she no longer had any fight left in her. She assumed it was Peppy, as she heard him try to comfort her. "Fara, we need to go. There's still a chance Fox is okay. He'll find a way out."

There was no reason for her to leave. Fox was nearby, and she had to go to him. And if he'd passed on… "Just…just leave me be. If Fox is—"

"And if Fox is alive," interrupted Falco, "which I know he is, he'll ream us a new one if we leave you here. He's survived worse."

"Just…go."

"Fine then." She screamed as Falco picked her up and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of food. She kicked his stomach and pounded against his back, but he refused to let go.

Falco took off as quickly as he could down the hall. After a few seconds, Fara gave up fighting and resorted to just sobbing quietly on the avian's shoulder. In the process, she missed a frantic escape that sent the pilots hurrying past falling debris and burning piles of stone.

Finally, she noticed that her surroundings seemed to be different. Instead of arid smoke, she smelled outside air. The artificial blue lighting had turned to natural sunlight. She opened her eyes to confirm, and after wiping the tears away, she found that her senses were working. She was outside.

And Fox was nowhere to be found.

"Thank goodness for little favors," she heard Falco say tiredly.

"Agreed," was Peppy's muted response.

She had a feeling that meant only one thing. She cleared her throat and asked, "The Arwings are here?"

"Hey, welcome back." With a grunt, Falco placed her back on her feet and continued. "About time."

Fara noticed that he still had his paws latched onto her side. She put her paws onto his arms and asked, "Will you let me go?"

"Are you going to run off?"

She looked over his shoulder at the base. Wisps of smoke drifted into the air in multiple places, and as she watched, the entrance they had escaped from collapsed into itself. She dropped her head and shook her head in defeat.

"Good."

She felt the avian release her and she turned to see the four Arwings behind her. As she had said what felt like ages ago, the craft had apparently spun off the vines and fronds they'd used to cover them and were facing them in pristine condition. Their cockpits were empty, awaiting the pilots to climb aboard.

Unfortunately, one of those pilots was never going to arrive.

Slippy cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Guys, based on how that base is reacting, I'm guessing the entire place is about to blow. We need to go!"

"We just can't abandon Fox here!" yelled Fara.

"We're not," replied Peppy. "You're coming with me."

"But—"

"One of Fox's final rules – 'If I fall in a dangerous situation, do everything in your power to make it out alive. Do not put your lives at risk to save me. Come back later when the situation permits.'"

"It's a rule Fox made us all commit by to each other," said Slippy as he climbed aboard his craft.

"I hated following that one," grumbled Falco.

"But it's saved our lives before on Papetoon," commented Peppy.

"Yeah, yeah." The avian sighed. "Fox is a fighter. He'll get through this. Somehow."

Peppy made sure that Fara climbed into the space behind his seat before boarding himself. She was left dumbfounded over the whole thing. How could anybody just abandon a teammate, a friend, like that? She could almost see their point, but… "You're all heartless," she finally said.

The canopy closed as Peppy punched in the startup sequence. "Some might think that, yes, but following orders in a war leads to fewer injuries and casualties overall. And I'm serious about it saving our lives before."

"What about following that rule when I was nearly killed by that three tubed spacecraft thing?"

The Arwing rumbled as it roared to life and shot out into the morning sun. They went nearly vertical as the hare applied the boosters. As the blue sky turned to the vacuum of space, Fara pestered him for an answer. "Well?"

"That was different."

"How?"

"We were no longer in danger once you destroyed that craft, so it became a simple search and rescue mission."

Fara grumbled under her breath. How could they not know how wrong they were in leaving Fox like that? All alone, his team gone, trapped in the middle of that base… "Stop the Arwing. I want to look for Fox."

"That I can do." He then flipped a switch and contacted the rest of the team. "Come about and slow to a halt. Also report your fuel and oxygen status."

As soon as Fortuna moved into view, she located Andross' base and zoomed in on it via her helmet. So intent she was in searching for Fox, she barely heard the conversation going on around her.

"Both fuel and oxygen is low," said Slippy. "How far out are we?"

"Some uninhabited jungle planet called fortune or something," replied Falco.

"Fortuna," corrected Peppy. "And it was inhabited – just by those with a far lower technology level than what we're used to."

"Same difference. And my status is the same."

Fara heard Peppy take a breath to continue, but he kept quiet as they all saw a bright blue light emanate from where the base was. It changed the hue of the nearby clouds to its color and streams of light shot past the clouds almost to the upper atmosphere.

Then, just as quickly as it started, it stopped. From their position, it looked as if nothing had happened.

But an all-too-familiar tone told them otherwise.

Peppy slowly stated the obvious a few seconds later to the team. "I…just lost the signal from Fox's Arwing. Can you confirm?"

"Yes."

"Yeah."

Fara's stomach knotted up over the information. Was Fox really gone? "What about…did the transponder say he was moving?"

Peppy sounded choked up as he answered. "I'm sorry, Fara."

This couldn't be happening to her. Not now. Not after how he'd just said that he loved her. His proclamation was so sudden, she never even had a chance to respond. Tears streamed out of her eyes and turned her fur into a sodden mess. "We have to go back…and make sure."

"We can't, Fara. We have limited supplies and we need to go if we're going to make it home."

"We have…wait…" She sniffled and tried to get her breathing back under control. "Is this why you made me come with you?"

"It is. I knew you—"

"You son of a bitch!"

Fara's thoughts dissolved into tears and sorrow. Fay had been right. There was no way to change her futures once she'd seen them. That damned canine had been right all along.

I see Fox lying all alone, up against some blue stone. He'll make one final shot out of desperation, but that'll be the end of his aspiration.

She bawled in the back of the Arwing. Fox had truly loved her. She had loved him back.

She was just never going to be able to tell him.

She had been close to Fox so many times. So many times she could've poked and prodded Fox further to find out his true feelings. So many things she might've been able to do differently. Maybe Fox would know the truth, or maybe still be alive if she—

"Fara?"

She felt Peppy touch her on the side of her head. Between sobs, she responded. "What?"

"Don't doubt yourself, Fara. There wasn't anything you could've done to change things."

"What!" She pushed herself away from the back of Peppy's seat and wiped her eyes so she could direct her anger. "There was plenty I could've done! You stopped me!"

The hare wisely stayed quiet at this point, as she was ready to bite his head off. Finding no further arguments forthcoming, she simply resumed crying.

Short of some light banter between the pilots, the only thing Fara heard was her own sobbing. As far as she was concerned, a large piece of her heart, if not her very soul, was missing for good.

"Your orders?"

"Contact the base and inform them on everything, Falco."

"Okay."

Relative silence resumed in the Arwing. It wasn't until Pepper himself broke over the craft's speaker system was another coherent word spoken. "Starfox team, this is General Pepper. I…I am both greatly pleased over the rescue of your teammate and the permanent destruction of Andross, as well as deeply saddened over the apparent loss of Jun…Fox."

"I know that times like these may call for desperate and possibly violent actions, but please keep in mind the heroes that you four currently represent. Do not do anything that may tarnish that image, as the entire system holds you in extremely high regard for what you've done."

"That said, I am going to tell you right now that I'll do everything in my power to make sure that every inch of that base is gone through, no matter its current condition. The least you four deserve is the confirmation of what you think has happened. There is still a chance, no matter how slim, that Fox is alive."

"If you have the fuel reserves to do so, I request your immediate return. If you don't, inform me of which planet you'll be landing on so I can make sure the supplies are there for a rapid refueling."

"Once again, congratulations on your defeat of Andross once and for all. This system holds you in a debt that will never be repaid. It's just unfortunate of the circumstances surrounding his defeat."

"But there is still hope. Don't let that hope evaporate until we all know for sure. I await your return. General Pepper, out."

Fara shook her head sadly after listening to the speech and went back to her misery.

* * *

Peppy sighed as he touched the few buttons necessary to power down the Arwing. It was a very long and quiet flight back home as nobody was in any mood to converse. Then again, he didn't blame them.

He looked behind him at the now sleeping Fara. Just a few minutes into lightspeed she had fallen asleep, giving him some much needed quiet instead of her constant flow of tears. But he knew how she felt, too.

He'd known Fox ever since he was born. He'd been close friends with his parents and played an active role at their wedding. He'd also known James McCloud for some time before that.

He'd also been there for the bad times in the McCloud history. He offered what comfort he could when Vixy was killed. He'd done the same with Fox when his father came to his tragic end.

Now, with the last of the McCloud line gone, he was going to have to do the same with Fara.

"I'm getting too old for this," he murmured as he unbuckled the straps that held him in place. Freed of their constraints, he turned around and touched Fara on the shoulder. "We're home, Fara. Time to wake up."

She blinked a few times in confusion before she looked up at the hare. Her eyes were bloodshot and the fur around them was a soggy mess. She wiped her eyes and tried to make herself look presentable, but eventually gave up with a sigh. "I look like hell, don't I?"

He nodded. "You do. It's understandable though."

"Anyone out there?"

Peppy popped the canopy, stood up, and looked around before turning back towards Fara. "Short of the engineers and Pepper himself, no."

She looked down and groaned. "Fuck."

"He's more than likely there to offer his thoughts and condolences."

"Maybe I don't want his pity right now."

He wondered if Fara would ever be anything resembling normal ever again. Short of Fox's sudden return, he doubted it. "If you want to tell the General to shove off, you're more than welcome to. I won't."

Peppy thought he saw a hint of a smile appear before she went back to her stoic expression. "Maybe I will."

"That's up to you." He heard the soft clank of two pairs of boots dropping onto the floor outside and figured it was the other pilots. "The others have disembarked, so let me know when you're ready."

She sniffed one last time and said, "Well, there's no point in me staying in this thing. Let's go."

"Okay."

The hare tapped the button necessary to extend the ladder outside the Arwing and climbed down. He got out of the way and paused, turning to make sure that Fara descended safely as well. Afterwards, the four pilots gathered and approached Pepper.

The engineers they passed had their hats in paw and heads bowed low in condolence. In a muted voice only he could hear, Peppy heard a few offering prayers for Fox's safe return. He accepted them gratefully, but he knew the engineers didn't see what he had.

In short, he had no faith in Fox ever coming back.

Even his unexplainable sixth sense, an ability that had somehow guided him true when he needed help the most, was silent. Based on his prior experiences, that only meant one thing – the plan or line of thought he was following was simply the correct one. It was silent on him too when James was killed.

Suppressing a sigh, Peppy looked up to see the solemn faced Pepper. As what was left of the team came to a halt around him, he said, "General."

"Peppy. Starfox team." He paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "I'll keep this short, as I have little to say that I haven't already. I've sent out teams to search that base as I said earlier. I hope to have an answer one way or another soon. Either way, your services to this base and those that it protects are finished. Thank you. You're dismissed."

Peppy looked over the team as they continued onward without another word. All eyes were on him as he said, "You're all on your own. Just make sure you can keep in touch until we hear from Pepper."

The team split, but the hare watched Fara closely. Leaving her alone for long during this time of sorrow, especially considering how close she was to Fox, wasn't recommended at all as far as he was concerned.

* * *

The day continued tearfully for Fara. After landing, she headed towards her own room and was left with her grief.

She wasn't left on her own, however. About an hour later, Peppy was there with her and offered a shoulder to cry upon. While she wanted to be alone, the hare refused to leave her side.

Eventually, she calmed her tears long enough to try to get him to see her way. She pushed away from his gentle hold and looked him in the eyes. "Go away."

"Being alone at a time like this isn't advisable."

What the heck was he talking about? "Advisable? Who…who made you king of these matters?"

"Do you really want to know why?"

"Will it get you to shut up and leave me alone?"

The hare winced, but she didn't care. "It's because I've been there every time a McCloud has…moved on. I know how the other—"

"I don't care! Get out!"

"Okay." He slowly pushed himself off the bed and onto his feet. "If you need—"

"Go!"

Fara watched the hare leave, but he didn't get far before her door chime echoed throughout the now stifling room. "What?" she asked with an irritated voice.

"Fara, it's us." The voice belonged to Miyu.

She muttered incoherently under her breath. She wanted to be alone, but instead all of her friends wanted to make sure she was 'okay'. As much as she didn't want to see them, she figured that if she saw her friends for a brief while, they'd get out of her fur that much faster. "Come."

Fay entered first, followed by Miyu. Fara looked their way and noticed that the canine had been crying. Instead of feeling sorrow as well, her feelings suddenly changed.

They changed to anger.

She stood up and marched towards Fay. She pushed past the curious hare and came face to face with the one who started all of her fears and violently shoved her to the ground. "You bitch! It's all your fault! You caused this!"

Fara attacked the stunned canine with all of her might and continued to spout off obscenities one after another. It was her she blamed for everything. If it wasn't for her and her cursed premonitions, none of this would've happened.

It didn't take long before Peppy and Miyu dragged her off. She continued to swing, but her paws connected with only air.

"Fara, calm down!" That command came from the hare.

"It's all her fault!" she yelled back. "She's entirely to blame!"

"She did not cause Fox's death!"

Fay finally recovered enough from the sudden attack to respond. "I did, in a way."

The pair pushed Fara into a seated position on her bed. She shot daggers of hate with her eyes at both Peppy and Miyu for interfering. "Just sit there and calm down," ordered the hare as he glanced her way before looking back towards Fay. "That's technically impossible, as you weren't there."

"I was metaphysically. I can see—"

"Not this again," muttered Fara as she gave up fighting and collapsed onto her back. It seemed that her friends were going to haunt her at the time she most didn't want them.

Fay sighed. "I can occasionally foresee…people's deaths. I saw Fox…die, and unfortunately…I've never been wrong before."

"A terrible curse," commented Peppy.

"Yeah. And no—"

Fara had had enough. She was tired of all these people in her room. She wanted to be alone. She wanted some way to be able to tell Fox her feelings. She wanted time itself to reverse directions so she could've found some way to save him.

There was only a few of those things she could actually accomplish.

"Get the hell out of my room!" she yelled. "Go! Get out of here!"

"But—"

"NOW!"

"Fara—"

"I will call the guards and have you three thrown out if you don't go immediately!"

"Okay, okay." Peppy looked at the scientists and all but forced them to their feet with his gaze. "We're leaving."

"About damned time."

Without another word, the threesome turned and left.

Once the door slid shut, Fara flipped over on her bed and buried her head in her pillow. Finally left with peace and quiet, she shut out the world best she could and resumed her sorrow.

As fate would have it, simple silence was not to be hers. Via an automatic setting, her oversized plasma TV fired up about fifteen minutes later as the noon news was broadcast around the world. As her preferred station was heard via the speakers, Fara groaned and tried to use a second pillow on top of her head to block out the noise.

But her ears were too sensitive for a simple pillow to keep the chatter out. Pounding her fists against her bed in anger, she righted herself and leaned towards her nightstand for her remote.

As she found the device and aimed it towards the TV, she happened to pay attention at what it was showing. The screen was split into nine windows, each one showing a different station. The one in the upper left was currently echoing throughout her room, but she ignored it.

Instead, her eyes were glued to the center window. In it, it showed a reporter who had just run around the side of a building. The camera focused upon her for only a moment before it zoomed in on a fiery wreck being treated to by multiple emergency workers.

"Computer, focus TV window 5 and save recording."

The computer chirped to acknowledge her request as the other windows vanished and the voice she heard instantly changed. "—nowhere and crashed in the outskirts of the city."

"Was anybody hurt?" That voice belonged to the news anchor of the station.

"No bystanders were injured, but I believe the pilot ejected too late to fully escape bodily harm."

The camera bounced around and zoomed on the wreck for a few seconds before it tracked around to where the medics were loading somebody into a hovervan adorned with flashing lights. "Any idea who the pilot is?"

"Not yet, no. But based on the size of the wreckage, I'm assuming that it was only a single occupancy vehicle. Sports hovercar or some sort of small spacecraft perhaps."

Fara gasped as the driver's face came into focus for just an instant before it vanished into the ambulance. There was no way. It was impossible.

The face looked to be Fox.

"I'll gather additional information about this developing story and get back to you shortly. This is News Channel—"

"Computer, end recording and replay muted."

Fara jumped to her feet, remote in paw, and ran towards the TV. A pillow tumbled towards the floor from her sudden movement, but she didn't care. She now had hope.

She manipulated the broadcast with the remote and fast-forwarded it towards the end. Inches away from the screen, she advanced the footage frame by frame as Fox's head came into view. Once it appeared, she tapped a series of buttons on the remote to freeze the replay and zoom in and clarify the image.

A few seconds later, she had all the proof she needed. It was Fox. There was no doubt about it. There was nobody else it could be.

She quickly zoomed back out and rewound the video. It didn't take her long before she found a brief moment where the name of the hospital the ambulance belonged to appeared upon the screen.

Now knowing where Fox was, she took off out the door and ignored everything else. She ran out of her room, the door barely opening fast enough to allow her exit, and skidded into the opposite wall. She dashed back into her room and gathered the keys for her car before speeding down the hallway.

She was in such a hurry she didn't notice Miyu leaning against the wall just a few feet in the opposite direction. The lynx slipped into the room moments before the door slid shut behind her.

* * *

The drive to the hospital was completely a blur for Fara. She broke every single traffic rule in the book and used every shortcut she knew all in her goal to arrive at her destination as quickly as possible. Luck was somehow on her side, as she didn't pass a single police officer patrolling the skies.

Not like she would've stopped had she gotten somebody on her tail, anyway.

She abused her piloting skill and expertly squeezed her car into the first empty parking spot she found. She'd barely removed the keys from the vehicle before she shot out across the parking lot and raced towards the entrance. The sliding glass door got out of her way as she approached, and within moments she skidded to a stop right next in front of the receptionists' desk.

"I'm with the Starfox team. Where's Fox McCloud?"

The female raccoon behind the desk looked up with feigned interest. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are—"

"Where's Fox?"

"Ma'am, I can't—"

"Where's Fox!"

"I—"

She quieted as Fara bored straight to her soul with her eyes. Fara knew that she was acting like she was utterly crazy and hysterical, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was finding Fox. "Where is he!"

"Hey, I know you. You're part of the Starfox team."

Fara wanted to reach over the desk and strangle the idiotic receptionist, but she controlled her seething rage with much difficulty. "Yes."

"Well…" The raccoon focused upon her monitor and started typing away on her keyboard. After a few seconds, she stopped and said, "I'm not supposed to do this, but you five are like our heroes and stuff." She smiled. "Room B413. But he—"

Upon hearing the room number, Fara had already run off, making anything said afterwards pointless.

The elevator ride up was a rare moment where Fara stopped moving for any length of time. She leaned against the wall and tried to calm her racing heart over the anticipation of seeing Fox again. What would she say to him? Or more importantly – what would she say to him first?

The doors opened and she continued her run down the hallways. She passed by a few nurses and doctors, all of which looked her way in curiosity, but nobody made any moves to stop her. She was simply out of sight before they could think such thoughts.

Finally she arrived at the passage containing Fox's room. As she neared the door at the end of the hallway, the door opened wide. Not wanting to push her luck further, she ducked into an adjacent room and closed the door behind her.

Voices from a pair of doctors floated through the crack Fara left in the door. "That's unusual.

"Most."

"McCloud seems okay, but seems to not be, at the same time."

"Chalk it up on what happened to him out there, I guess."

"Yeah. Well, our usual battery of tests should be back in about 15 or so, so I'm going to get some coffee. Interested?"

"Sure."

The pair continued to chat as they walked out of earshot. Fara waited a few more seconds before she pushed the door open. She poked her head out and watched as the doctors passed out of view. Knowing that she had at least a quarter of an hour alone with Fox, she smiled and calmly walked into the vulpine's room.

Fox lay still upon the medical bed with his eyes closed. There was a heavy sheet pulled up to his shoulders, and his arms were to his sides on top of that. He was so motionless, if it wasn't for the medical monitor above him on the wall slowly beeping in rate with his steady heartbeat, she'd assume that he was dead.

She shuddered at that thought and moved closer. Fox's arms and face were dotted with burn marks and marred fur, and an oxygen mask was attached as well. Her heart raced as she slowly reached out and stroked the fur on his arm, proving to herself that he wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

She continued to brush his fur and wished he'd wake up. There were so many things she wanted to say to him. So many things she wanted to do. But instead, Fox was just sleeping the afternoon away.

The minutes slowly passed by. Fara was content holding on to the vulpine, but as time passed, she wanted to do something more. She wanted to reveal her feelings while they were alone. But Fox was still out like a light.

She leaned in closer and cupped his head in one of her paws, while she used the other to caress his face. Afterwards, she kissed him on the forehead and basked in the love that she felt for him. After all of this time, she'd found her soulmate. Her perfect match. And she knew it.

"Why won't you wake up, Fox?" she whispered. "I'm here for you now. Nothing else is going to go wrong."

Her heart jumped as she thought she felt him stir. "That's it, Fox. Wake up. I'm here. We've won the war, we're all safe, and we love—"

Fox's eyes snapped open. He looked at her for only a moment before he reached up and locked his paws around her throat in a stranglehold.

Fara's eyes widened in shock as her paws instinctively went to his own. This couldn't be happening. Not to her. Not now.

But as Fox grinned the same evil grin she'd seen on every other android she'd encountered or killed, she knew exactly what was in front of her. She also knew how much trouble she was in.

She grabbed the android's paws and tried to loosen his grip. Failing that, she put her arms inside of his and attempted to pry his arms apart.

Both failed. The android simply had too much strength on her.

Stars danced across her vision as she gasped for air. She couldn't get the slightest bit of air down, however. He apparently knew exactly what he needed to do to completely block off her windpipe.

Fara bucked and struggled, but her attempts did nothing but piss the android off further. While still seated on the bed, he lifted her slightly off the ground and maintained his hold. "Goodbye, Ms. Phoenix."

There was nothing that Fara could do. She simply didn't have the muscle strength to even think about breaking loose, especially with her feet no longer touching the ground. Without her weapon, she was helpless.

Her vision darkened and she heard a roaring in her ears from her lack of oxygen. She looked down at Fox and thought about the vulpine it represented. At least they were going to be together soon.

And then the door leading into the room slammed open.

After a moment's pause, Peppy, Miyu, and Fay ran into the room and tried to free their friend. As they were weaponless as well, their only option was to try to pry Fara free from Fox's grasp.

As Miyu and Fay pulled, Peppy came into Fara's fading field of view. As far as she could tell, it seemed like he was looking for something. She wanted to tell them to leave, to save themselves as they would be next on this android's hit list, but she was in no condition to do so.

Embedded in the wall behind the bed was a defibrillator unit. Peppy grabbed the paddles off the device and flipped it on. "Clear!" he yelled just moments before he touched them to either side of the android's head.

Fara watched as Fox's eyes grew wide with shock as the voltage coursed through his body. She felt his deathgrip weaken slightly around her throat, allowing her to take a single gasp of life-giving air before his paws tightened again.

Peppy picked up the paddles and looked at the computer panel on the wall that controlled the device. "Come here," he ordered as he touched a few buttons and turned back around.

Miyu responded first. "What?"

"Keep touching the recharge button and pray this works."

Fara's world was vanishing once again, but she forced herself to focus upon the words so she'd remain conscious. Her friends were going to save her.

"Clear!"

Fox jolted back as the electricity blasted through his head. Peppy had turned the voltage up to the maximum setting, and with Miyu assisting, it was a near constant transmission of power.

The android held on for a few seconds before his grip began to falter. Able to get another few gasps of air down, Fara tried to fight back with what power she could pull from her oxygen-deprived muscles.

Finally, after spending what felt like forever trapped between Fox's paws, the vulpine let go. Fara dropped into Fay's waiting form, and the canine removed her from the still raging conflict.

Fox haltingly tried to bring his paws up to his head to save himself, but it was clear from how it moved that it had suffered severe damage from Peppy's sustained electrical shocks. The hare continued to pour on the power as the smell of charred electrical components overpowered whatever the hospital used to keep the rooms smelling fresh. Peppy was taking no chances.

An echoing crack deafened the group for an instant as the android's brain shattered inside its skull. The creature froze permanently in place as what little life it had to begin with faded away to nothingness.

As if fate was laughing at them, at that moment the two doctors came rushing back into the room with a trio of guards hot on their heels. The full medical scan had been completed, and it showed that Fox was anything but who he was supposed to be.

By that time, Fara had recovered enough to stand and move on her own. She took one last look at her shattered hopes and dreams lying in a smoking heap upon the bed and took off running with tears streaming down her face. 


	54. A Hero Remembered

Random thought before I go into this chapter - it's still the 30th where I am right now. Enjoy.

Celestrio - technically, it was Pepper speaking the entire time. I realize now that I should've noted that somehow, but it just didn't happen. Glad to hear that you've enjoyed this story.

FraGmenTd - looking back, I've realized what a mess I've put Fara through. And I don't really know how, or why, it ended up that way. And don't worry - I didn't read that as anything close to a flame. Just you and your thoughts.

RedBay - the few times I got Falco and Fara together, their personalities clashed (or meshed) very well. And during the course of my writing, I tried to avoid words that odds are they wouldn't use (like how I avoided the use of the word 'hand' the entire time). That one, in retrospec, shouldn't have been used either. And as far as the racoon girl - she was a minor aspect of the plot that I had planned to use again, but I ended up not using.

Andrea - close, but not quite. Will the answer ever come to light? Good question. And yeah, I really did mess with Fara's head during the course of this story.

Janus - the whole Junior thing is just an offshoot of the comics I use as the base. Yes, Fox's father wasn't James in the comic, and as thus the name Junior wasn't exactly needed, but I liked the nickname.

* * *

**Chapter 54: A Hero Remembered**

_I now realize how close I've become to Fox. How much I need him. Without him, I simply don't have a life worth living anymore. _– Fara 

Fara woke up early the next morning in her bed on the base. With a groan, she tried to remember how she got there. Last thing she remembered was running from the hospital room in tears.

But in the end, she decided it didn't matter. Fox was dead.

And without Fox, she didn't have a life worth living.

She slowly unburied herself from her covers and damp pillow and found the clock on her nightstand. The glowing red numbers told her it was only half past six. Her stomach grumbled at her as a reminder that she hadn't eaten in quite some time, and it was at that point that she pushed off her covers and got up.

After taking care of business, she debated upon a shower. That train of thought didn't last long, as she realized she didn't care how she looked anymore. There was only one person in her life now, and that person was gone for good.

Fara threw on a dull and drab outfit and plopped down upon her unmade bed. She was in the process of pulling on her boots when she noticed the blinking light on her computer keyboard that told her somebody had left a message while she'd been asleep.

Suppressing a sigh, she stood up and stomped her feet securely into her boots before walking to her PC. With none of her usual flourish, she pecked at the keys to bring up the first message out of two.

"Ms. Phoenix, this is General Pepper." She rolled her eyes at the obvious, as his face was clearly on the screen. "My teams have finished their initial excavations of what's left of Andross' base, and have unfortunately turned up nothing. They will continue—"

She closed and deleted the message, but not before she glanced at the time it was sent. Three-thirty yesterday afternoon. "I must've been really out to sleep through that," she muttered to herself. She knew how noisy her phone was.

The second message was from Peppy. His face held a stoic expression as he spoke. "Morning, Fara. I tried waking you up, but apparently you've a very sound sleeper. I know that yesterday—"

He continued talking, but she ended the message and deleted it as well. Just a bit before six in the morning was the time stamp on this one. "Get some sleep and a clue, you old cod. I don't give a damn about that fucking android from yesterday."

Her mood now set, she walked off for some food.

* * *

Fara's thoughts were ones filled with sadness and anger. Depressing thoughts at how she'd never see Fox again, and hatred with the team and herself at not being able to do anything to save him.

The mess hall was surprisingly empty short of a lone cook. Then again, with the war officially over for good, she figured that most of the staff were with their families and loved ones, or they were off partying with friends.

She had none of that to look forward to.

She stuck around only long enough to pick up a random muffin and some juice from the self service bar before she headed back out. Instead of returning to her room though, she wandered down the hall as she munched away.

Her boots made little sound on the carpeted floor as she continued to walk. As she finished her last bite, she tossed both items into a nearby trash bin and finally paid attention to where she was.

She found herself in front of the spot she always wanted her room – down a hallway that had a view through a glass wall of the botanical gardens far below. Only the second through sixth floors had this view, and she always envied those who got to see this when they first left their rooms.

Not today though. While she usually smiled and had feelings of joy when she looked at her favorite place, today it reminded her of the first time she saw Fox in the base. She was hidden in the largest tree in the gardens, waiting for Fay to arrive, when the vulpine walked in on her.

She remembered watching him and his actions, trying to judge his character and what kind of leader he'd make for the team. Pepper had told her prior to their meeting that he'd be captain, but she was worried at the time about what kind of person he was until she saw how he acted. He also had this unexplainable aura of command about him.

During their next meeting, one which was far different than the first as they actually talked to each other, she quickly grew to respect him as a leader. While Fox would've never admitted it, she knew the rest of the team would've agreed with her that he was an excellent commander; that somehow it just came naturally to him.

But now Fox was gone.

She sniffed, but the tears wouldn't flow anymore. She'd cried more in the last day than since she was born, and there was simply nothing left.

Fara raised a finger to the window and knocked on it a few times. She found that it was a relatively thin piece of glass and it wouldn't take much to shatter it. She looked at the dirt and rock ground six stories down and put some serious thought into jumping through the thin barrier and ending it all right here and now.

Her life had little meaning to her at the moment. The person she loved and adored was gone. She knew that she'd never find another like him in the entire system. People like Fox were extremely rare. He would've made the perfect mate in her mind.

She banged her head against the glass a few times in trepidation. Fear gnawed at her very bones just over the thought of jumping. It would solve her immediate problems once and for all, but at cost of everything she knew and loved.

And what would her friends and family think?

That thought haunted her mind as she looked at the ground far below once more. Could she possibly jump with the thought of what would happen afterward on her mind?

She slowly turned away but then looked back yet again. _It would be so easy._

She stood still and continued her fight with her mental demons. _It would solve nothing._

_It would solve everything._

_But my family and friends…_

_Fox is dead._

Her resolve was weakening. _There…will be others._

_No there won't._

_But…my future._

_Without Fox, you don't have one._

_But…_

_Jump._

_But…_

_Jump!_

_No._

_Do it!_

"No!"

She surprised herself with the ferocity of her yell and looked around to see if anybody had heard her. Short of the echo of her voice, he only sound she heard was her own inner voice, and even that quieted as she made up her mind once and for all. Her intention to jump had vanished.

Fara shivered suddenly as she felt a cold sweat permeate her fur. Had she really come that close to killing herself? As she took one last look at the gardens before walking off, she realized that she had.

She needed help. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, Peppy was her best option right now.

She decided to visit the medical bay and give the hare a call from there. It was the safest place in the base as far as she was concerned. If her thoughts wandered off again, the medics could easily stop or subdue her. From there, she could sit down with him and have that long talk she so desperately needed.

* * *

The trip to the medical bay was a short one, as it was only on the other side of the floor. She passed by Fox's room and wistfully looked at it, but other than that she did nothing else but concentrate upon her walking. She knew she'd have a mental breakdown if she did much else.

The doors at her destination swished open with little sound. She took a breath and got a good whiff the purifying agents used to keep the air sterile. She focused upon that smell for a moment and tried to get her mental faculties back under control. No matter how much she needed help, she didn't want anyone else to know how much of a mess her mind was in until she talked to Peppy.

She touched the panel next to the main medical bay doors and was allowed access. She had only taken a few steps in when she stopped dead in her tracks.

Lying with his eyes closed in a bed on the opposite side of the bay was Fox.

The covers on his bed were pulled back and exposed his bare upper chest and arms. What looked to be a brace or a medical wrap of some sort was partially visible where the covers started, and he had another wrap around his right shoulder.

As she stood there and stared, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head just enough so she could see who it was, while keeping Fox fully in her view. Peppy and Devan stood there idly with smiles on their faces. They both nodded knowingly as they noticed her attention, confirming the only question she had.

Fara stumbled forward and dropped to her knees right next to Fox. Using one paw for support, she used the other to cautiously reach out and touch him. After confirming that this wasn't some insane illusion or horrible nightmare, she started to caress the fur on his upper arm.

Fox sleepily woke up over the course of the next few seconds. He blinked a few times and then looked Fara's way. He weakly smiled at her, and it was at this point that she broke down. "Fox, I…" she blubbered. "I thought…"

"No," he said quietly. "I—"

His words were cut off as she jumped up and grabbed him tight around the chest. Tears that she thought she wouldn't see again poured down her face and dropped into his fur.

"Can't…breathe…" he choked.

With a gasp, she broke her hold and gave him plenty of room while still maintaining contact with her paws. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

"Fara, please don't." He lifted one paw up and cupped it around the back of her head. She felt a gentle tug and allowed him to guide her head back onto his chest. He then used his other paw to finger his way through the soaked and matted fur on her face. "I'm not that fragile you know."

"Fox…" Words simply couldn't express the feelings she felt towards him right now. Instead, she grabbed his arms and gave him a quick squeeze.

He leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead. "It's okay, Fara. I'm not going anywhere."

"No. I…"

"Yes?"

She took his paws into hers and lifted her head up so she could look him in the eyes. "I…I love you, Fox."

Fox worked one of his paws free and tried to wipe away her latest batch of tears. "I love you too, Fara."

The pair held each other's gaze for what felt like the longest time. In reality it was only a minute or two, but for them it felt like infinity itself passed them by. It was as if they saw each other for the first time, even though they had been working side by side as teammates since they first met.

That togetherness was broken somewhat as Devan coughed and offered a chair to Fara. She only nodded and dropped into the seat, her tired legs giving out on her.

Fara pulled the chair as close as she could get to Fox's bed and searched for a comfortable position to lay nearby. She finally settled with placing her head on his chest again, face tilted so she could watch him and his beautiful green eyes. Her paws were wherever she could find a spot to remain in contact with his fur, moving her fingers through it to remind her that this was all real.

Fox continued to give her the attention she so desperately needed. He kept hold of her arms and paws, or he fingered his way around her face. He kept quiet though, and she was fine with that. Anything that was worth talking about had already been said.

Satisfied at feeling and listening to Fox's rhythmic breathing underneath her, Fara's overstressed mind finally shut down, and she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"So…how did you…escape?"

"Hmmm?"

An hour had passed, and the entire team had assembled by Fox's bedside to talk. "You know," said Fara with her head still lying on Fox's chest, "how did you…survive this?"

"We all saw the base go up," commented Falco.

"And watch as your Arwing's transponder shut down," added Slippy.

Fox stayed quiet and closed his eyes in thought. So many strange things had happened in the last day. He just didn't know how much to tell them. "I…I don't really know."

"What's the last thing you remember seeing?" asked Peppy.

"I was in the base, and then I saw this bright light. But it wasn't just a light. I, well, I don't know, sensed something or someone was there."

"Like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel?" asked Slippy.

"No." He continued to be at a loss of words. "I couldn't see or hear anyone, but I just knew there was somebody there." And while he was truthful in what he said, there was one thing he kept secret – his mind kept telling him that the somebody wasn't anything resembling his species.

"What happened next?" asked Fara.

He was glad to have her change the subject. "Well, I think I blacked out, or lots of time passed, or something, as I when I woke up it was dark out. I found out later I was in the forest somewhere near what was left of the base."

"How?"

"I have no idea, Fara. None at all." He paused for a moment to see if they had any other questions. "Anyway, the Arwing was somehow next to me. It was a bit damaged, but flyable. I, however, was anything but."

Fox watched as Fara picked up her head from his stomach and smoothed back the covers worriedly. "Fox, was I—"

He shook his head. "Even if I was in pain, just seeing you there would've made it go away."

"That's just pathetic," muttered Falco.

"You could always leave," retorted Fox angrily. Everybody looked at the avian, but he just crossed his wings and muttered something incoherent under his breath. "That's what I thought."

He continued his story. "I'd been shot in the back of my right leg, a missed shot too close for comfort with some kind of plasma weapon on my right shoulder, and I knew I'd broken a rib or two." Fara gasped. "Yeah. But I wasn't gonna get home if I just sat there. So I somehow dragged myself into the Arwing."

"That base must've sent off some sort of EMP pulse or something as it blew, as quite a few of my lower end systems were down. Communications being the big one. So I took off and limped home."

"And now you're here," said Fara. She leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead. "But why didn't you call me when you got back?"

Fox blanched. "Peppy was—"

"I did," interrupted the hare. "I told Fara to come down and see you."

"No, you old cod. You told me I was a heavy sleeper. You then started into something about yesterday and I deleted the message in disgust."

Peppy groaned. "I said it right after that."

Fox could see the distress and anger briefly on Fara's face before she reverted to her usual neutral expression. "Get to the point faster next time," she said.

"Sorry."

She looked his way again and smiled. The vulpine followed suit. "Well, now what?" she asked.

Everyone remained quiet at that question. Eventually, all eyes were on Fox, and he took the hint that he needed to answer. "It's been a very long journey, but we've overcome all challenges placed before us. We've saved the galaxy, we've killed Andross, and we're together again."

"And we're filthy rich," added Falco.

"We are?"

He grinned. "Oh yeah. Wanna know?"

"Na. I'll find out later."

"Suit yourself."

Fox rolled his eyes. "And the military has paid us well for putting our lives on the line. I want to thank you all for helping through thick and thin. We would not be here if it was not for the outstanding efforts of each and every one of you." He looked around at his team one last time. "Now let's enjoy the rest of our lives in relative peace."

"About damn time you shut up," retorted the avian.

"Screw you."

* * *

Somewhere in the unfathomable depths of space, a lone medium-sized shuttle moved forward under its own power. With the war now officially over, this was no longer an extremely rare occurrence. It was the pilot, however, that made this craft stand out above all others.

That pilot was Andross.

By all rights, he should be dead, and he knew this. Somehow, the force that teleported Fox to safety had also done the same to him. He had no explanation as to how or why he was allowed to survive, and it irked him to no end.

He also wanted access to the raw power he had sensed during his transport. It had to be his.

When he originally woke up, he had hoped that Fox had died in the explosion. That was why he had dumped the very last of his androids, a second clone of the vulpine, to Corneria. But a quick scan of his communication logs showed that it had been terminated.

He also now assumed that Fox was alive. Not only was the vulpine a survivor, but he guessed that knowing his luck, the same power that had saved him had saved the person he hated most.

And what about Fara? Based on his failed limited interactions with her, and how she simply walked right through a base that only he was supposed to have access to, he figured that she wasn't entirely normal. Did she have some latent psychic powers of her own that she didn't know of? Or was she just 'protected' by the same dumb luck that always seemed to follow Fox around?

Only a successful capture and analysis of her mind would answer that question. Or there was the possibility that her powers would instead manifest in a future generation of the Phoenix line. Either way, she was worth keeping close watch on.

Andross brooded silently as he thought about the technology and knowledge that he'd lost with the destruction of both bases. Most of the basics, like his favored Telekinetic Amplifier, were tucked safely away inside his shuttle's computer banks, and he'd learned a few new tidbits of knowledge from his time with that toad. But others were lost for good, at least until he rediscovered it again.

And he would relearn it. He would rebuild. He would not be stopped next time.

This system, loaded with peace-loving ingrates, would be his.

He just needed time. He also needed to stay under the now-watchful eyes of Corneria. They may be stupid as a whole, but they wouldn't quickly forget.

He had come so close. If it wasn't for the efforts of one lone military base and five exceptionally good pilots, he would've been ruling this system by now.

Instead, he was flying back towards Venom in an attempt to salvage what he had lost.

But Andross was a survivor. His supposed exile to Venom had turned into a very positive thing for him, and he could turn this into an advantage too.

Corneria thought he was dead. He had all the time in the world to rebuild because of it. He would have his revenge, no matter how long it took. 

He would be back.

* * *

Come now - did you really expect the hero (and along the same line, the villian) to truly stay dead? Makes writing sequels very difficult. And gets the fan base to really hate you. :grins:

After two long years, and nearly 300k words, this fic has come to an end. I want to thank all of my readers for keeping the reviews flowing during all of this time. It's kept me writing. Now, yes, I do realize that there are quite a few plot-lines left open with this ending. When this story was conceived, there was room for multiple sequels over many years in the team's lives that answer many things. Will I write them though? That's a good question. And one that only time will tell.

One last thing - I've opened up my e-mail address in the author profile, so if you're curious as to my future thoughts (as I don't know if I'll write them or not), write away. Just make sure you say something about the fic in the subject line, and as always, you're welcome to say your general thoughts in the reviews you submit via this site.

Thanks again, everyone. This is Destructor, signing off.


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